Collision Course
by NerdcraftMC
Summary: Collision Course, the story of how a little love can mend a broken heart and heal life long wounds. [Merome!] {Rated M for language, drug use and violence, no suggestive scenes} Cover art by the amazing XxFallenTributexX onDeviantART!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello Nerdians, and welcome to Collision Course, the promised Merome! I am sorry for lack of updates, but I sprained my wrist and I haven't been able to type without experiencing pain for a while. And I've been suffering writers block. But here it is, promised and arrived and actually on time! This is the first story I've written that's entirely done not from direct point of view, so it's in... third person? I've forgotten the term. Tell me if you know.**

**Please enjoy the first chapter!**

**Edit 29/04/2014: I am deleting all the chapters and re-uploading the edited versions. Sorry it anything goes wrong ^_^**

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE**

Jerome Aceti had lived next door to Mitchell Hughes for most of his life. Yet, all Jerome really knew about the boy was that he was constantly getting into trouble. Jerome had heard a lot about him although he'd never spoken to him and he'd learnt a lot of… _choice_ words that had been used in relation to the boy himself. Despite going to the same school as him for all his life, seeing him every day and even living in such close proximity to him, Jerome had never spoken a word to Mitchell, until the night Jerome decided to go to a party with his friend Zak.

* * *

Jerome held the bowl of dip to his chest nervously and looked over at Zak fretfully. This was his first party in a few years.

"What do we expect from parties like this?" Jerome asked, and Zak frowned.

"Um… unsafe sex and beer, if the movies are right," he replied, and Zak laughed when Jerome paled a few shades.

"Don't sweat it. It's just a couple guys and girls hanging out with your dip," Zak said, patting Jerome's shoulder as Jerome looked down at his dip uncertainly.

"Okay. I hope they like the dip," Jerome said, and Zak smiled.

"Everyone loves the dip," he said, and then he pressed the doorbell. A long, loud trilling sounded and Jerome looked at Zak, raising his eyebrow.

"Wow. Over dramatic much," Jerome said lightly, trying to ignore the nerves in his stomach. The door was suddenly flung open by a girl. She grinned widely.

"Zak! You're here!" she said happily, grabbing his hand and yanking him in. Jerome followed Zak in nervously. After squeezing Zak in a bear hug she turned and smiled at Jerome. Jerome took her in quickly: glasses, long streaked hair, jeans and a shirt that had a picture of a phone box on it that looked vaguely familiar.

"Hi! Nice to see Zak brought a friend!" she said happily, walking up to Jerome and throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly.

"Caitlyn! You're going to suffocate Jerome!" Zak laughed, pulling the girl off of the gasping Jerome.

"Sorry!" she laughed. Jerome smiled weakly and set his bowl of dip down on the side table.

"It's fine. You hug really tight," Jerome said. She smiled and pushed some of her hair out of her eyes.

"I may or may not have started a drink or two before the party started," she confessed, red staining her cheeks. "Pre-Party nerves. I was afraid no one would show up." Zak patted her shoulder affectionately.

"As long as I come, it'll be a great party," he joked. Caitlyn rolled her eyes and slapped his hand away.

"Shut up," she laughed. She gestured through an open door with a smile. "Come on in, a few people have arrived already."

"Is Preston here?" Zak asked eagerly. Caitlyn blushed furiously and Zak laughed, delighted, clapping his hands.

"Awesome! I cannot wait for you to get drunk enough for spin the bottle!" he said gleefully. Still blushing, Caitlyn shoved him in the back.

"Not a word," she hissed, pushing him into the room. Jerome stared after them uncertainly, and then picked up his bowl of beloved dip and followed Zak and Caitlyn. Looking around, Jerome saw he was in a spacious room with a large, ornate fireplace with a wide-screen TV above it, an amazing sound system, plush black couches, dark wood floorboards and old-fashioned wall paper. It looked like something out of an old movie, bar the streamers hanging around and the trestle table in the far end of the room by a large bay window. The table was covered with delicious finger foods and had bottles of coke and other refreshments, along with still-stacked paper cups. A cooler beneath the table boasted beer of all kinds. Jerome was, in a word, impressed. Everyone here with either seventeen or sixteen, yet they had acquired enough beer to last them multiple days. All it was missing was the unsafe sex Zak had mentioned. Jerome saw Zak by the stereo, arguing with Caitlyn over what to play next. From what Jerome could hear, it was a battle between Good Charlotte and Owl City. There were multiple people scattered across the room, many holding cups. It was only seven o'clock, and more people were arriving by the second and diving for the beer. Something in Jerome's stomach told him the coke would be neglected tonight.

* * *

Eventually, Caitlyn prevailed in the argument and soon _Like it's Her Birthday _was blaring from the stereo.

"I let you win," Zak muttered.

"Please!" Caitlyn scoffed. "I owned that!" Zak stuck his tongue out at her and Caitlyn copied.

"I need to get more chips," Caitlyn said. Zak nodded and disappeared into the growing crowd, most likely to find the friend he'd brought. Jerome. Caitlyn walked quickly into the kitchen by the adjoining door and grabbed a packet swiftly, opening it with a tug and dumping it in a black, green-spotted bowl. Caitlyn tossed the empty packet beside the microwave and walked out, manoeuvring her way through the crowd to the table. Depositing the bowl gently, Caitlyn turned and looked at the growing group, putting her hands on her hips. Caitlyn smiled. It was quite the crowd, ranging from nerds, jocks, all those stereotypical people from school. Funnily enough, Caitlyn didn't know which group Jerome belonged to. He was quiet, and quite frankly Caitlyn hadn't known he'd existed before he showed up on her doorstep with Zak. But Zak was always picking up people at random and befriending them. Sometimes they were scary people. Caitlyn reached behind her and picked up a chip, popping it in her mouth and savouring it. The track had switched to _Fire in the Hole _by Pegboard Nerds. People were beginning to dance, which was good. It wasn't a party without people dancing. A familiar looking face jumped out from the crowd and bumped into the table, letting it shake for a moment. Caitlyn stared and then remembered to close her mouth.

'Oh, hey," Preston said, smiling. His eyes glittered in the low light, making Caitlyn's knees feel a bit weak.

"Hey," Caitlyn stammered, cheeks going red for the third time that night.

"Nice party you've got going here," Preston commented, raising his cup up to her and then knocking it back.

"Thanks," Caitlyn said, bowing her head forward slightly and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. _Oh shit! What if that came off like I'm flirting? _Caitlyn's cheeks grew hotter and Preston frowned.

"Hey, you feeling alright? Your face has gone really red," he said, puzzled. Caitlyn opened and closed her mouth over and over.

"I'm fine," she managed. "It's just a bit hot in here." She waved her hand in front of her face, trying to mask her embarrassments. Preston nodded sympathetically, a glint of humour in his eyes.

"Yeah, I guess it is," he replied. Caitlyn tried to play it off cool and reached for a chip, nearly knocking a bottle of coke over. Preston reached over quickly and righted it, flashing a smile in her direction. She would've collapsed then and there if the table hadn't held her up. Caitlyn put the chip in her mouth, chewing slowly. Preston grabbed a chip too and smiled.

"Good choice," he said as the track switched over.

"In music or food?" Caitlyn said, smiling slightly. _God, woman! If you smile like that he'll think you're trying to pick up on him! _The smile disappeared quickly, and Caitlyn bit her lip. _Great, now I'll look like Kristen Stewart. _

"Both. This is Summer Ashes, right?" Preston said. Caitlyn didn't hide her surprise.

"Yeah. By Kevin Drew and Taryn Manning, remixed by Culture Code," Caitlyn said, happy someone else knew the song.

"It was my ringtone for a while," Preston confessed. Caitlyn smiled and laughed.

"Same!" she said, delighted. A hand closed around her arm suddenly and Caitlyn jumped. Preston raised an eyebrow as Caitlyn turned and found herself face to face with her friend Sydney. Sydney was pale and was continuously pushing her bright orange hair behind her ear, a never ending cycle.

"What's up?" Caitlyn asked, irritated Sydney had interrupted her bonding moment with the cutest boy in the grade.

"Mitchel fricking Hughes!" Sydney whispered furiously. "He just showed up with Mat!" Caitlyn paled and her hand tightened, crushing the chip in her hand to multiple tiny pieces. They stabbed into her palm painfully.

"Mitchell Hughes? As in _the_ Mitchell Hughes?" Caitlyn breathed.

"Who else, dumbass?" Sydney hissed.

"He's _that_ kid, isn't he?" Preston said, his brow furrowed. Both girls jumped; surprised he'd been listening in.

"If by _that_ kid you mean the Mitchell Hughes with a criminal record a mile long, then yeah!" Sydney snapped. Caitlyn was torn between fear Mitchell would bash someone's head in and annoyance that Sydney was being overdramatic.

"What's he doing here?" Preston asked.

"I'll ask him," Caitlyn said, trying to sound brave and not like she'd probably shit herself as soon as he looked at her. Or spontaneously combust.

"What? Do you _want_ to die?" Sydney yelled. Then suddenly the chatter ceased and everyone froze, eyes swivelling as one to the two open doors that marked the entrance to the living room. It was silence, except for the sudden beat drop from _Summer Ashes. _Mitchell Hughes stood in the doorway with his friend Mat. Both of them looked like they belonged in some gang movie. Mitchell stood in dark, black jeans, a black-and-red checked hoodie and Caitlyn nearly died when she saw what looked like a bloodstain on the toe of his shoes. Mat stood beside him, wearing a black t-shirt and similar jeans.

"What are you doing here?" Caitlyn asked. Someone wisely turned the music down, and Caitlyn thought through every movie she'd ever watched. _Bad boy arrives. Music cuts off. Host charges forward and demands to know why bad boy and sidekick or gang is at party. Fight breaks out. People get grounded. One unlucky kid is hospitalized. _Gulping and fighting down increasing fear, Caitlyn watched Mitchell raise an eyebrow, a low dangerous fire burning in his eyes.

"It's a party, isn't it?" Mitchell asked, spreading his arms out. "I'm just here to have fun."

"You weren't invited," Caitlyn whispered, losing her voice half-way through. Mitchell glared daggers at her and Caitlyn worried her head would explode.

"I heard it was an open invitation," he replied, smirking. His idiot friend Mat grinned devilishly. Caitlyn took a deep breath and used the painful chip fragments to bring her back from the painful death she was imagining.

"Well, the rules just changed," she answered, her voice steely and cold. "Everyone is allowed to come except you and your little friend."

"I'm hurt," Mitchell growled. He took a step forward and suddenly Caitlyn found herself staring up at him. He towered over her by at least twenty centimetres. It was terrifying.

"You're going to let us into this party, and we're all going to have fun and get along," Mitch said, voice low.

"Leave her alone," Sydney said, grabbing Caitlyn's hand and pulling her back away from him.

"I will smash your head in," Mitch growled.

"Screw you!" Sydney spat.

"To afraid to go full-tilt?" Mitch said.

"I've got my boundaries, bitch. I know way more curses than you'll ever know, and in three different languages. I'll take you on any time," Sydney replied, sounding smug. Mitch glared at her and Caitlyn felt her hands shaking as she pulled her back further to the table. The room was silent.

"I take it we're not welcome," Mitch said, straightening up. He looked at Mat and Mat licked his lips. Caitlyn shivered.

"We'll see you wads at school," Mat said, voice loud. The pair turned and Caitlyn noticed Jerome press up against the wall to let them pass. Jerome must've looked at them wrong because Mitch grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall, almost casual.

"Don't you look at us that way, you little bitch," Mitch growled. Jerome nodded frantically and Mitch released him. Jerome slid down the wall five centimetres and then his feet touched the floor. The front door slammed and the room was quiet. Caitlyn looked over her shoulder at Sydney and Preston, swallowing thickly.

"Alright, everyone!" Caitlyn yelled, clapping her hands weakly. "You can go back to doing whatever you were doing before!" everyone was cautious, but someone turned the music back on and some people started to talk again, picking up previously abandoned conversations.

"Selection by The Noisy Freaks," Preston murmured.

"Yep," Caitlyn replied, popping the "p". Sydney let out a sudden sigh of relief.

"I so thought I was going to get murdered," she said.

"Three different languages?" Caitlyn asked, raising an eyebrow. Sydney shrugged and stuck up both middle fingers.

"_Chuparme la polla_," she said, before turning and walking away.

"I took Spanish too, you know!" Caitlyn called after to her. She heard a rude retort and rolled her eyes. Preston looked confused.

"What did she say?" Preston asked. Caitlyn walked past him and pat his shoulder, suddenly feeling no embarrassment. She'd stood down Mitchell Hughes in a way: that was the equivalent of killing a lion in the Jungle.

"You don't want to know," Caitlyn replied, picking up a cup and then grabbing a bottle of Coors. With a shrug, she tossed away the cup and uncapped the bottle, chugging it back and then wiping her mouth on her arm as Sydney made her way back with her cup.

"Should you really drink all of that?" Preston asked, concerned. Caitlyn shrugged.

"My party just turned to shit. I deserve it."

* * *

Jerome was terrified. Zak had rushed over to him as soon as Mitchell and Mat were gone to make sure he was alright.

"Dude! Oh my god!" Zak yelled. "Are you alright?"

"I feel as though my soul was ripped out and stomped on," Jerome wheezed, leaning forward and resting his hands on his knees.

"That means you're still alive!" Zak said, slapping him on the back and nearly sending the unbalanced Jerome toppling.

"He had so much rage in his eyes," Jerome whispered to the floor, feeling bad for the boy.

"What?" Zak asked, confused.

"Nothing," Jerome answered as he righted himself. "Just making sure my brain isn't slush." Zak nodded, and then dragged him over to the table, where a girl with bright auburn hair and pale skin stood beside Caitlyn and a boy Jerome recognised as Preston. He was pretty popular at school.

"I can't believe you stood up to him like that," Preston marvelled.

"I live with my dad," the red head said with a noticeable Irish accent. "You need balls of steel to go up against him after he's had a few rounds."

"So it's true Scottish people have drinking problems?"

"One, I'm _Irish_, not bloody Scottish. There's a difference," the girl huffed. "And two, everyone in Ireland and Scotland has tasted beer by the time they're six. It's like Russians with vodka." Preston nodded seriously, probably not understanding any of it.

"You really know three languages?" Zak said sarcastically. Jerome stood beside him awkwardly as the girl spun around and stared at him, her frizzy hair bouncing on her shoulders.

"Gaelic, English and Spanish," the girl replied proudly.

"I thought Gaelic was a minority language?" Preston said, brow furrowing. Jerome was vaguely impressed. Maybe he _did_ pay attention in class.

"I come from an old family and they insisted," the girl answered.

"I can't believe Mitch showed up," Caitlyn said, sipping from a Coors. It was half-empty and she was swaying slightly on her feet. _She mentioned having a drink or two before the party to calm her nerves, _Jerome remembered. _That's her third drink. I'm surprised she's not totally drunk yet. _

"With Mat too," the girl added.

"Please," Caitlyn said. "You know Mat follows him everywhere, Sydney. Don't act so surprised." Jerome quickly put the name to the freckled face. Suddenly Zak's eyes narrowed and he looked at Jerome.

"Don't you live next door to Mitch, Jerome?" Zak asked. The group – Preston, Caitlyn and Sydney – went silent and stared at Jerome.

"Uh…" he stuttered. "Yeah." Sydney's jaw dropped and Preston looked shocked.

"Holy shit," Preston muttered. "How are you still alive?"

"I've lived next door to him all my life," Jerome said with a shrug. "Tonight's the first time he's spoken to me, let alone _looked_ at me." The song switched from something Jerome didn't recognise to a song he remembered.

"Railroad track by Willy Moon!" Preston said triumphantly. Caitlyn swore.

"You beat me to it," she said, smiling playfully and nudging his shoulder.

"Hey, I recognise this!" Jerome said suddenly. "The Assassins Creed Four ad!"

"That's right," Preston said approvingly.

"Back to the fact that you live next door to Mitch," Sydney said, swivelling her green gaze to Jerome. Jerome swallowed, uncomfortable in the direct gaze. Jerome opened his mouth to reply when Preston snapped is fingers and pointed at him.

"That's where I know you from! Church!" Preston exclaimed. Jerome shrugged.

"I only go every now and then," he muttered.

"I'm getting pissed off that I'm being interrupted," Sydney said loudly. Preston ignored her.

"It's been annoying me all night," Preston laughed. "I couldn't place your face." Jerome smiled.

"I know the feeling. Now, I think I should answer Sydney's questions before she explodes," Jerome said quickly, noticing the small girl's face going red. Sydney let out a long breath.

"_Thank_ you!" she huffed. "That was getting annoying!"

"I'm going to talk to Caitlyn for a while," Zak interrupted, getting a poisonous glare from Sydney. Zak held up his hands in surrender and then moved through the cluster, forcefully grabbing Caitlyn's hand and pulling her out of the room. The night wore on, and Preston and Sydney drilled eagerly into Jerome's life as a neighbour to the "kid with a criminal record a mile long" and Jerome bared all, which wasn't much. Caitlyn and Zak never returned and Sydney would often chime in with dirty suggestions on what they might be doing. At around one am, everyone began to leave. Jerome stood out on the lawn and waited for Zak. Zak was his ride, and he hoped he hadn't drunk too much. Jerome hated driving at night. Eventually, Zak stumbled out and insisted he was fine. On the drive, Jerome didn't speak. His mind was on Mitch. _Maybe he's a nice guy. Maybe he just has a hard family life and wants to take it out on everyone else. That's what the teachers say, right? _Jerome sighed.

"What's up?" Zak asked bluntly.

"Nothing," Jerome murmured, looking out the window.

"Fine, don't talk," Zak muttered. The rest of the ride was completed in silence.

* * *

**So! Do you like it? Leave your opinions and tell me if you want anything changed! Oh, and think about checking out some of the songs I mentioned :)**

**Peace out Nerdians and until the next chapter!**

**Final note: There's a poll on my page asking for opinions. Check it out!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello Nerdians! Before we start really quickly: Props to... I believe it was Xenac for being the first reader (I put it up and he/she literally read it in the first minute) and props to DJMidge for being first reviewer. I'm glad you guys are excited for Collision Course, it makes me feel all special and happy!**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO**

Jerome awoke the next morning with a jolt with the feeling he was being watched. He sat up quickly, covers sliding off his bare chest from the quick movement. Jerome looked out the window at and saw the curtains moving in the house next door as they floated back into place. Shivering, Jerome bunched the covers up in his hands and pulled them up to his chin. _Was Mitch watching me? _Jerome wondered. Jerome let out a long exhale and swung his legs out over the edge of the bed before jumping up and standing on the creaky floorboards, wearing only boxer shorts and socks. He was meant to go skateboarding with Zak today, but his thoughts were confirmed as his phone buzzed from its spot on his dresser.

**Zak – Sorry, can't make today :( Hung over as hell**

Jerome would've laughed but he felt for his friend. He fired back a quick message to just confirm he'd seen it, and then imagined Zak sitting up bolt right and saying his vibrating phone was too loud. Jerome hadn't drunk last night. He knew he probably shouldn't in case Zak was too drunk to drive. It was a mutual agreement between the pair. Crossing to his closet, Jerome dumped his phone down on his desk and then opened the doors and grabbed a plain white t-shirt and pulled it on quickly, still trying to wiggle into it as he walked across the room to the dresser beneath his window and grabbed a pair of jeans. Simple clothes. The hair on the back of Jerome's neck tingled and Jerome cast his eyes up, still looking down. He caught a glimpse of Mitch disappearing behind his curtain again and Jerome felt a prickle of fear. _He's probably planning my murder now, _Jerome thought with a shudder. Jerome cast a glance over his shoulder and saw his school bag hanging from the hook behind his door. Cursing softly, Jerome hurried over and unzipped it, looking in side and seeing the paper sheet that was the essay he'd forgotten. Swearing once more as he saw the due date, Jerome yanked it out and practically threw himself at his desk. Skimming the task as his laptop booted up, Jerome inwardly groaned.

"Discuss factors that could've stopped deforestation in the Amazon Forest and plan a recovery program?" he muttered to himself. "I knew I shouldn't have taken Advanced Geography. But _no_, I didn't listen to myself." The door was suddenly flung open and Jerome looked at the doorway. A little girl stood there wearing a pink nightgown and bunny slippers, her hair pulled back in two pigtails.

"What do you need, Grace?" Jerome asked. The girl walked in and got up on her tip-toes to look at the computer screen.

"What'cha doing?" she asked in a sing-song voice.

"Homework," Jerome answered, watching his little sister carefully. Last time the six year old had gotten near his computer, he'd lost all of his work.

"Are you coming down for breakfast?" she asked.

"What are we having?" Jerome asked suspiciously.

"I dunno, mama just wanted me to ask," Grace replied, twirling on her toes in a circle as Jerome pushed back from the desk and watched her spin.

"I might go out and meet some friends and eat then," Jerome said finally. Truth be told, he didn't have the best relationship with his parents. But they loved him and he loved them, and they got by. Grace smiled brightly and crawled up onto his lap.

"Mum said we might go to church tomorrow if she isn't going to bingo," Grace said, matter of fact. Jerome rolled his eyes.

"I missed so many soccer games because of church, yet apparently bingo is more important," he muttered under his breath. Grace bounced up and down and looked up at him.

"What's your homework about?"

"Deforestation."

"What's a Deforestation?"

"When people cut down trees and it's against the law," Jerome replied, ruffling her hair affectionately.

"Do I get to learn about it when I'm in big school?" Grace asked excitedly. Jerome smiled. There was no doubt Grace would be a bright child as she progressed. Her excitement for simply learning was more substantial than what Jerome had ever experienced.

"Yeah. But it's really boring," Jerome answered. Grace wrinkled her nose.

"Boring? Gross!" she yelled. Then she proceeded to leap up and sprint out of the room, slippers slapping the floorboards loudly. Sliding his chair across back to his desk, Jerome started to type once again, only to be interrupted by the buzzing of his phone.

"I'm never going to finish this," Jerome muttered, scooping up his phone and looking at the notification.

**George Clooney – Are you free today? **

**Jerome – Who is this?**

**George Clooney – Caitlyn. Duh.**

**Jerome – How did I get your number and why is your name George Clooney**

**George Clooney – I put it in your phone last night while you were in the bathroom and last night I thought it would be funnier. You can thank me later.**

Jerome smiled slightly as he quickly thumbed in Caitlyn's name and adjusted her contact. _I have a girl's phone number. Progress. Even though I didn't actually get it._

**Caitlyn – Back to topic. Are you free today?**

**Jerome – Yeah… why?**

**Caitlyn – I'm bored and I have a headache and Sydney won't stop flaunting the fact Irish people never get hangovers.**

**Jerome – That makes perfect sense. Where do you want to meet up?**

**Caitlyn – Bonnie's Breakfast and Lunch. Look it up and get directions if you want. See you there in ten :)**

Jerome didn't need directions. When he was in primary, it had been his favourite place to go eat at with his friend Jason. Sadly, they'd stopped hanging out. Jerome didn't really know why. Looking sadly at his computer, Jerome stood up and jammed his phone into his pocket and then grabbed his wallet off the shelf by his door as he walked out. Jerome walked down the narrow hallway, past the bathroom, his parent's room and Grace's room. Down the staircase into the living room. Looking through the archway behind him at the kitchen, Jerome saw his mum Cynthia bustling around and laying things out on the countertop.

"Mum, I'm going out to meet some people," Jerome yelled. She looked up and brushed a blonde curl over her ear.

"Alright, sweetie. Are you getting breakfast out?" she called.

"Yeah," Jerome replied.

"Tell your dad on the way out that breakfast will be in two minutes!" Cynthia yelled as Jerome walked across the living room into the foyer, which held the door to the bathroom, laundry and garage and of course, the front door. Shoving his feet into his sneakers and opening the front door, Jerome looked out into the garden where his dad Jackson was trying to mow the lawn.

"Breakfast will be ready in a minute, dad!" Jerome said as he walked down the path. His dad grunted and tried to get the mower working again.

"Blasted machine," Jackson growled. Jerome sighed and kept walking down the path onto the sidewalk. Jerome looked around the street and for the first time realised how different Mitch's house was to his. His lawn and Mitch's other neighbour's lawn were cut and trimmed, both houses had blooming mini-gardens, clean windows and looked… neat. Whereas Mitch's house… the white-painted bricks were peeling, the lawn was overgrown, whatever garden had existed was wilted and dead and the trash hadn't been emptied out. Big differences. _A Neglect Sandwich: fresh white bread on each side but rotten ham in the middle_, Jerome thought. _Wow. That was good. I need to use that in an essay_. Shrugging, Jerome kept at a steady pace. He left his street and walked along the path, hands in his pockets, mentally trying to decide what factors would need to go into his recovery plan for the Amazon. He found his way to Bonnie's Breakfast and Lunch and pushed open the door, walking into the café. It was set up like an eighties diner, because apparently they're "Retro" and "Every town needs one". A girl in sunglasses waved at him and Jerome recognised her as Caitlyn. Jerome waved back and sat down at the booth she'd taken. Sydney bounced up and down in her seat beside Caitlyn and she winced, rubbing her temples.

"You look like a douche with sunglasses on inside," Sydney commented. Caitlyn muttered something under her breath and Sydney laughed loudly, making Caitlyn groan.

"I take it you had too many drinks last night?" Jerome asked, a smile playing on his lips.

"About twenty-four too many!" Caitlyn snapped. "And Sydney is being a total dick about it!" Jerome held his hands up in surrender.

"Hey, _you _invited me out. Don't be mean," Jerome said. Caitlyn's sunglasses slid down her nose and she stared at him over the top of them, eyes bloodshot.

"Wow," Jerome muttered. "I'm never going near a drink ever again."

"I don't understand it," Caitlyn muttered, pushing the sunglasses back up into place. "Sydney drank way more than me and she's fine."

"I'm Irish," Sydney said, waggling her eyebrows.

"I thought you hated Irish stereotypes?" Jerome said. Sydney shrugged.

"In my case, it's true. You can't argue with logic," Sydney said happily, pushing her bright hair behind her ear and smiling. Jerome smiled back and Sydney's eyes flitted away from him, blushing slightly. Jerome brushed it off, not understanding it. With a smile, Jerome stood up.

"I'll go order breakfast," he said.

"Coffee please," Caitlyn muttered. "I can't stomach anything else."

"I'll have a little breakfast pie and a coke, thanks!" Sydney chirped, seeming a lot happier than she had last night. Jerome nodded, and slipped out of the booth, turning around to go to the counter and smacking right into Mitchell Hughes.

* * *

Mitch was surprised to run into the scrawny little kid. He'd been coming here for ages and had never seen him here before.

"You," Mitch grumbled, something unknown sparking in his chest.

"Hi," Jerome stammered, taking a step back. The annoying red head stood up from the booth she shared with the party girl, a thunderous look on her face.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed.

"Having breakfast, dumbass," Mitch replied bluntly. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"It looks like you're standing in the middle of the walkway," Party Girl muttered. Mitch glared poisonously at her, contempt in his eyes. He was never open with his emotion: it was all in his eyes. Only Mitch knew why. His own little slice of mystery.

"Well, we've got Tweedledum, where's Tweedledumber?" Red Head snarled. Mitch didn't rise to the bait.

"Mat is at his house sleeping in," Mitch replied calmly. "Let me through now before I rip scrawny's head off."

"I'd like to see you try," Red Head said defiantly. Scrawny yelped.

"Please don't try!" Scrawny said quickly, hands reaching up for his head in fear. Mitch snarled at him.

"No one asked you to talk," Mitch growled. He forcefully grabbed his shoulder and shoved him to the side. Scrawny stumbled and fell into the other booth, freeing the way. Mitch stalked down the aisle to his booth at the end of the store with the blown light bulb above it. He liked the dark. It was nicer. Sitting down heavily in his seat, Mitch put his feet up under the table and leaned back. He'd already ordered and his food would be delivered in a few minutes. From up ahead, Mitch saw Party girl stand up and help Scrawny up. They exchanged words and a glance or two back at Mitch, which Mitch greeted each time with the finger. Then Scrawny walked up to the counter and ordered his food. Sighing, Mitch closed his eyes and stretched. It was quiet up the back, and not many people were present at the café this early.

"Mitch, your food," the waitress said. Mitch cracked open one eye as she put down the food. Mitch nodded in thanks and Victoria smiled. Victoria served him every morning. Victoria, or Tory, was thirty-eight and often tried to mother Mitch. She knew everything about him, because she had been friends with his dad. They had what could be a friendship, but Mitch didn't want any close ties. Mat was enough. Leaning forward, Mitch picked up his fork and started to eat his waffles. They made great food here. Keeping his eye on Party Girl, Red Head and Scrawny, Mitch ate his food slowly. Scrawny had come back and now Lila, another waitress on the morning shift, was coming with their food. Mitch nearly jumped when Tory slid into the seat across from him, smiling as she settled down. Mitch would've scowled when she blocked his view but he liked Tory. She was alright.

"What's up?" Tory asked, untying her ponytail and then retying it up higher.

"Nothing," Mitch replied.

"How's your dad?"

"Still being an idiot," Mitch mumbled. Tory frowned and stole a bit of waffle from his plate.

"How's school?" She asked.

"Boring," Mitch answered, stuffed more waffle into his mouth.

"How'd you go in the math test?"

"D," Mitch said, wincing slightly at her face.

"You should've studied! You could've brought your homework over one morning and I would've gladly helped you," she scolded.

"I didn't have time to study," Mitch lied. He could've studied. Instead, he'd hung out near the train station and smoked a joint. Not his first time doing it. He wasn't addicted; he did it around once a month with Mat. He was pretty sure it was laced with some chemical to give it a kick. It didn't even feel that good. But he couldn't exactly tell Tory that he wasn't studying because he was out doing drugs. She'd flip.

"You always have time to study! What could've been more important?" she snapped. Mitch shrugged and pushed his plate away from him slightly to the left.

"I was out with Mat."

"What were you doing with him?"

"Hanging out. Throwing rocks at old trains," Mitch finally mumbled. Tory sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose.

"Mitch. You know I want to help you," she said. "You need to put more time into your studies and try and do better. Maybe you shouldn't spend much more time with Mat."

"He's my only friend, Tory. He's not getting me into trouble or anything."

"_Mitch_," Tory said sternly. Mitch let out a long breath and sagged back into his chair.

"Fine," he muttered, relenting. "Only 'cause you said." Tory smiled and stood up, ruffling his hair. Mitch scowled and crossed his arms.

"I need to get back to my shift. Say bye on your way out and try to get your dad to call me tonight," Tory said softly, leaning down and giving the scowling boy a hug.

"Alright," Mitch replied, softening just a bit at her embrace. She pulled away and walked down the aisle, straightening her apron. Mitch watched her walk and then felt eyes on him. His head snapped to the right and he glared at Scrawny, who was staring at him from his booth. Scrawny ducked his head and Mitch stood up, deciding to leave. On his way up he kicked their table, making their food jump and Red Head's coke nearly spill.

"Oi!" she snapped. A ghost of a smile on Mitch's lips, he waved silently to Tory at her place behind the register and walked out of the store.

* * *

Sydney glared at Mitch as he walked out. Caitlyn reached over and touched her arm.

"Leave it," she said, tired. "He's not worth it." Rubbing her forehead, Caitlyn looked down at her coffee. _Coffee usually helps. _Picking it up with her cold fingers, Caitlyn took a sip of the hot liquid. It scalded her throat and she coughed.

"You alright?" Jerome asked, biting into his little pie.

"Yeah, it's just hot," Caitlyn replied weakly.

"You really did drink too much," Sydney said, baffled. "You _never_ drink too much."

"Well, Mitch burst in and ruined the beginning of my party. I was annoyed," Caitlyn snapped. Sydney rolled her eyes and pushed some of her lanky hair out of her face.

"Don't snap at me. I didn't do anything," she said. Caitlyn sighed and looked at Jerome over the top of her sunglasses. He didn't really seem to be there. He was agitated and his finger was tapping the table in a steady beat. It was too loud and echoed around her skull.

"What's wrong?" Caitlyn asked finally. Jerome's finger stopped, much to her relief.

"I'm just thinking," he answered.

"About what?"

"Mitch. I just wanna know what his problem is. Why he hates everyone," Jerome finally said, looking embarrassed.

"He's angry at everything," Caitlyn said. "I heard his mum left him when he was a kid and his dads a real bad alcoholic. Beats him and stuff."

"Who'd you hear that from?" Sydney asked dubiously.

"Kiara Farmer."

"She lies about everything."

"Shut up."

"Who's Kiara Farmer?" Jerome butted in. Caitlyn and Sydney stared at him in shock. Jerome's cheeks coloured. _Wow. Has he been living with his head under a rock?_

"Kiara Farmer. Haley Branson's left hand woman," Sydney answered eventually.

"Haley Branson is that popular girl, right?" Jerome asked, seeming proud he knew something. _Not much to be proud of, champ._

"Yeah. Stereotypical cheerleader dating Peter Reynolds, most popular boy at school who acts like he owns the world," Sydney replied.

"Preston's friends with Peter," Caitlyn mumbled. "Preston's only friends with nice people."

"Well, Preston must be blind. Peter is a dick," Sydney snapped.

"Preston isn't blind. Maybe Peter only acts like an idiot for Haley," Caitlyn shot back, feeling the need to protect Preston over his choice of friends.

"Acts? Then give that man an Oscar!" Sydney said sarcastically.

"Acting!" Jerome said suddenly, clicking his fingers. "Maybe that's what Mitch is doing!"

"We stopped talking about Mitch two minutes ago," Caitlyn pointed out. Jerome ignored her. _Excuse me. We were talking about idiots over here! Stop talking about Mitch!_

"Maybe he acts all mean and angry because he needs to. You said his dad might beat him, right? Maybe his dad makes him," Jerome said excitedly.

"Talking about Mitch is boring," Sydney said drily. "Can we resume our talk about Peter Reynolds?"

"You might be onto something though!" Jerome replied, waving his hand in her direction. "Maybe if we could just tell him or something that he doesn't need to act like he does, then he could start being nice!"

"Nice? Nice doesn't _exist _in Mitch's DNA," Caitlyn snapped. "He's a grade-A bitch."

"Maybe we could help him!" Jerome said, almost pleading. Caitlyn could see he wanted to help him but she wasn't in the mood.

"You can come up with your little plan on how to fix Mitch," Caitlyn said, standing up. "I'm going home to sleep."

"I might do the same thing," Sydney said quickly. The two girls got up to walk but Caitlyn stopped and looked at Jerome, softening.

"No one really wants to talk about Mitch, Jerome. You should just _let it go_," Caitlyn said forcefully. Jerome looked hurt and opened his mouth to reply, but Caitlyn was already out the door and climbing into the passenger seat of her car as Sydney grabbed the keys.

* * *

**So, did you like it? We've got a glimpse of Mitch's home life and we've met Victoria. And what does Jerome exactly plan on doing about Mitch? Tell me what you think, I hope you've enjoyed, and keep an eye out for the mystical double update! It may appear in the tall grass...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey Nerdians! Welcome to chapter three of Collision Course! Not much to say, but there is a poll on my page regarding a new story that will be started after Broken is finished. Please check it out!**

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE**

On the walk home, Jerome thought about how he could help Mitch. He honestly wanted to help him but he didn't know how. _No one really wants to talk about Mitch, Jerome. You should just let it go. _

"Well, I want to talk about him," Jerome muttered to no one, kicking an empty can to the brick wall of the store beside him. "I'm not just going to let it go."

"Hey, you're that idiot from the party last night!" someone called. Jerome looked up in alarm only to be shoved up against the wall by none other than Mat. Mat smiled like a shark.

"I didn't realise you actually go outside! I never see you around," he said, almost conversationally. Jerome wrinkled his nose. Mat smelled like smoke.

"Because I'm out doing things with my life," Jerome mumbled under his breath as he tried to slip around Mat. Mat's smile dropped and he grabbed Jerome's shoulders, pushing him back against the wall again.

"If you've got the balls to say it, say it to my face, wimp!" Mat taunted.

"I'd rather not," Jerome replied, trying to inch away. Mat noticed and stuck out his foot casually. Jerome tripped and fell. He quickly scrambled up, rubbing his skinned palms on his thighs. _This stings like hell. _

"Pussy," Mat hissed.

"Please don't," Jerome said softly.

"Speak up, wimp," Mat said. "I can't hear you!" He took a step forward menacingly and Jerome took a step back, his back against the wall.

"I didn't say anything," Jerome whispered. "Can I go now?"

"Not until you grow a pair and start acting like a man!" Mat snapped.

"If acting like a man means being a dick, then no!" Jerome said. He realised his mistake immediately and paled. Mat's face went red with anger.

"What'd you say?" Mat said angrily.

"Please leave me alone!" Jerome cried. "I didn't mean it!" Mat held up a fist.

"Oh, I'll make you –"

"Mat," a voice said. "Leave him alone." Jerome looked over Mat's shoulder and saw Mitch standing there, hands jammed in the pockets of his jeans. Mat glared poisonously at Jerome but backed off. Jerome exhaled the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. Jerome stared at Mitch and Mitch's eyes narrowed.

"Get out of here," Mitch snapped, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. Jerome nodded quickly and ran as fast as he could away from the scene. He could feel Mitch's eyes boring into his back until he rounded the corner into his street. Jerome stopped, bending over and putting his hands on his knees, panting. He'd sprinted for his life and was winded.

"Geez," Jerome gasped. Flipping his hands over, Jerome studied his hands. The skin was ripped and bleeding, dirt stinging the multitude of small cuts. "Gotta clean that." Straightening, Jerome kept walking. He made it to his house and walked up the path. Pushing open the door, Jerome walked in and took off his shoes.

"I'm home!" he called. Cynthia stuck her head around the corner and smiled.

"Nice to see you're back early," she said. "Can you watch Grace tonight? Your dad and I are going out to a business party."

"Sure," Jerome replied.

"Excellent. What did you have for breakfast?" Cynthia asked, disappearing into the living room. Jerome followed her.

"A pie," Jerome answered.

"If you're still hungry, there's some left over waffles. Or if you want to wait, the McDonald's are coming over for lunch. Your dad's bringing out the barbeque and everything," Cynthia said, walking into the kitchen and turning on the tap.

"Does dad even know how to work that thing?" Jerome asked dubiously as Cynthia squeezed soap into the filling sink.

"Probably not," Cynthia said with a laugh. "But he wants to act like we're a completely normal family." Jerome was silent for a moment as his mother started to rinse off breakfast plates. Jerome walked over and stood beside his mother, taking the cleaned plates from her and drying them off with a towel.

"If you think about it, we already are a pretty normal family," Jerome said. He hissed slightly in pain when he got soap on his hands.

"Well, I guess we are but – oh, Jerome! Your hands! What did you do?" Cynthia gasped, grabbing his wrist and jerking it in front of her.

"Mum!" Jerome groaned. "I fell over on my way back, it's nothing!" Cynthia frowned and opened the cabinet beneath the sink with one wet, soapy hand, the other hand still holding Jerome's wrist. She pulled disinfectant and a small white cloth out and set it on the stone countertop by the sink.

"Hold still," Cynthia said sternly, dabbing the disinfectant onto the cloth and rubbing it roughly on his hands. Jerome squirmed, the sting annoying and painful. Finished with his right hand, Cynthia grabbed his left hand and Jerome tried to yank it away.

"Mum, I'm not four years old! I just skinned my hands!" Jerome huffed. Cynthia looked hurt but didn't drop his hand.

"But I'm your mum," she said sadly, lip quavering. "It's my job to clean you up and give you a kiss and a cookie when you get hurt!" _Oh. Way to make me feel bad. But I'm seventeen, not a toddler!_

"I appreciate it mum, but seriously!" Jerome said gently. "You can still do it with Grace." Cynthia blinked back tears and waved her hand in front of her face.

"My baby's all grown up!" she exclaimed, hugging Jerome tightly. Jerome gaped, surprised by her sudden show of affection. Usually, Cynthia was pretty… distant. She would do what was expected of her as a mother, and that would be it.

"Mum," Jerome wheezed. "I can't breathe." Cynthia pulled away, smiling, her eyes shining with wet tears.

"Let me do your left hand," she demanded. Jerome sighed and stuck out his hand. Cynthia grinned and jabbed the disinfectant onto the cuts. After a painful moment of stinging, Cynthia let Jerome go free, shooing him away with her hands so she could make salad in peace. Madeline McDonald was vegetarian and would protest if there wasn't any fruit and vegetables at the barbeque. The McDonald's were Jerome's left side neighbours, a family of dark-skinned artists. Madeline McDonald was a tall, slim woman who enjoyed dressing in flower print and spoke loudly and intensely, often only discussing her latest artworks – sculptures mainly. Up her left arm she had pure-white tattoos that stood out against her dark skin, which she explained were "Interpretive art of the chains that once bound her grandfather" but to Jerome it looked like a bunch of swirls, curves and sharp angles. Cameron McDonald was also tall, very muscular and worked in metalwork. He made sculptures out of scrap metal from his shop and spoke in quiet, carefully thought-out sentences, unlike his wife. Last but not least was Sasha McDonald, their six year old daughter. Sasha had dark curls and bright emerald eyes and a definite artistic ability with a paint brush. She had her father's way of quiet talking but if she was passionate of her argument – for example whether or not Dora could hear you – she adopted her mother's way of speech: loud and brash. The house often got very loud at these get-togethers and Jerome would end up locked in his bedroom on his computer or listening to music before the end of the day. Sasha and Grace were great friends, Jackson and Cameron would talk about sports and Madeline and Cynthia would end up discussing art.

"Shoot," Jerome muttered as he walked into his bedroom and saw his computer. "I still have homework." Sitting down and cracking his knuckles, Jerome opened his laptop and started tapping away at the keyboard with his pre-planned ideas. Roughly two hours later, a knock on the door followed by Grace dressed in a bright pink dress brought the news the McDonalds had arrived. Sighing, Jerome stood up and cast a fleeting glance out the window. Mitch wasn't watching him. Sighing with relief, Jerome followed Grace as she skipped down the stairs. Jerome could hear Madeline now, even through the kitchen and out the backyard. The backyard was fairly spacious, with a cubbyhouse overgrown by weeds in the far corner, a large tree with a swing set beneath it, a large deck which housed the seating and barbeque and a sculpture of Madeline's Cynthia had been forced to accept for her birthday. But the McDonalds and Jerome's parents weren't the only people in the backyard. Jerome stopped and paled as Mitch turned around and stared at him.

* * *

Mitch didn't want to go over to Scrawny's house for this neighbour barbeque but his dad had forced him. Nonetheless, his dad was still drunk at the time because _he_ came as well. Now he looked like a trapped animal, sweating and adjusting the collar of his shirt every ten seconds. Then Scrawny himself stepped out onto the deck from the kitchen and he went white as soon as he saw Mitch. Mitch didn't know whether to smile, scowl, glare or what – this wasn't his area of expertise. This was Scrawny's home territory and Mitch had already run into him twice today. Once at the café and then again when he'd saved his guts from Mat, who was high as the sky when he'd started harassing him. Mitch scowled, his face falling into its familiar pattern. This bozo kept running in and interrupting his life: it was getting annoying.

"Jerome! Have you met Mitchell?" Mrs Aceti asked. "He goes to your school!"

"I know him," Scrawny – or Jerome – stammered. _Heh. Jerome. Gay name. It suits him though. _Mitch watched Jerome as he led the small kid over to the other small kid. They ran off laughing around the backyard and Mitch's dad, Paul, looked at Mitch, eyebrow raised. His eyes were slightly bloodshot and he was pale. Still riding a hangover from last night.

"I'll be… over here," Paul said awkwardly, shuffling over to the barbeque and trying to strike up a conversation with Mr Aceti and the tall guy from the next house over. Mrs Aceti – Mitch thought it was Cynthia – pushed Jerome in Mitch's direction. Mitch's scowl deepened and Jerome paled further.

"Go! Socialize!" his mum ordered. Jerome turned and quickly whispered something. His mother rolled her eyes and gave him a final shove towards Mitch. He stumbled and nearly ended up on the deck. The two stood there awkwardly, Jerome shuffling his feet and not meeting his gaze. _What am I supposed to do? Be nice or some shit like that?_

"Uh…" Mitch started, trailing off. He honestly didn't know how to start a conversation. He only ever spoke to Mat, and even then Mat did all the talking. But Mat was basically just a druggie who followed Mitch around, but somehow they were classified as friends. To Mitch, it was just a… _companionship_.

"So…" Jerome muttered. "Thanks for helping me out back there, I guess." He said, voice quiet, rubbing the back of his neck. Mitch grunted in reply, and Jerome looked at him, shoulders sagging.

"Look, at least I'm _trying_," he snapped. "Give it a chance." Mitch was silent, his mind blank. He searched for a witty reply but none of them were in his reach. Something about Jerome dazed Mitch, and he couldn't think when he was around. _It's because he doesn't react,_ Mitch thought. _I always get a reaction. Yeah. That's it._

"Um," Mitch managed. "I don't really…"

"Why do you try and piss everyone off?" Jerome asked suddenly. He paled slightly at his words and Mitch thought he probably expected him to lash out. _But… I don't know how. What the hell am I meant to do? God, brain, you're letting me down. Seriously._

"What?" Mitch asked.

"Okay, I'm talking so I might as well finish," Jerome said, teeth chattering. "You always act like a dick to everyone and there doesn't seem to be any reason behind it, you just… you just annoy people for the sake of it and I don't like it. And neither do my friends." Mitch was shocked. _Um… what the hell just happened? Did… did Scrawny, of all people, just put me down? Holy shit, the world is ending._

"Shut up," Mitch replied lamely. Jerome snorted, gaining confidence by the second.

"Is that all you got? No witty, amazing reply?" Jerome said, surprise and the uneasiness of knowing he was pushing it in his voice. Mitch's eyes narrowed and Jerome didn't take a step back. He took a step _forward_.

"Well, come on! What, am I… _intimidating_ you or something?" Jerome asked, dubious. He sounded baffled to say it. Mitch's jaw dropped. _Holy crap. He _is _intimidating me._

"What's intimidating is your stench," Mitch answered, putting some of his usual venom into his voice. Jerome huffed.

"We aren't in primary school," Jerome said. "You can do better."

"Okay, let me get this straight," Mitch said, holding his hands up, anger in his voice. "You come up to me and start the conversation by telling me to stop acting like a dick, and now you _want_ me to act like a dick. Where is the logic in this?"

"There doesn't need to be logic! I just want to know why, all the sudden, you're acting different!" Jerome snapped, keeping his voice low. He didn't want the adults to know what was going on.

"Because of _you_!" Mitch finally exploded. "I don't know what the _hell_ you're doing, but you're just confusing me! One second you're all nice and you're thanking me for saving your ass, next second you're up in my face trying to mess up my brain!" Mitch's fists clenched. "Whatever you're doing, _stop it_!"Jerome looked shocked.

"I'm not doing anything," he said weakly. "At least, not _deliberately_…"

"You're messing with my head," Mitch growled. "And it's getting annoying." With that, Mitch shoved past Jerome and sat heavily at the table as they began to serve food.

* * *

Jerome watched Mitch storm away, eyes wide. _I don't know what's going on… I'm not doing anything to him! If anything, he's messing up _my _head! He's all mean at the café then he's nice and then he's just… unresponsive! Argh! Now I know how girls feel with their boyfriends! _Jerome started walking and then paused, paling further. _Why the hell am I likening him to a boyfriend? Oh my god, what's wrong with me!?_

"Food's up!" Jackson called. Sasha and Grace ran up to the table, laughing at some unheard joke, faces red from running around. Mitch's dad, Paul Hughes, sat down beside Cameron and Cynthia placed down plates of beef and salad in front of them. Cameron rubbed his hands together and flashed a smile at Cynthia.

"Excellent work, Cynthia," he smiled. Cynthia blushed and waved her hand.

"Oh, I only made the salad," she said modestly.

"Oh, please! We all know you did half the cooking, Jackson couldn't even figure out how light up the barbeque!" Madeline said loudly. Everyone laughed except for Jerome and Mitch. Mitch silently picked at his food moodily; one hand supported his head, the other hand shifting the salad with the fork. Jerome cut a small piece of beef off and stared at it. _I think I'm going insane. What is Mitch doing to me? Why am I suddenly so interested in him? Caitlyn's right, he's a lost cause! But I still keep at it… what am I doing?_

"So, Jerome! Are you and Mitch friends?" Cynthia asked cheerily. Jerome froze, eyes flicking up at his mum. _Mum, please! Don't! _

"Uh…" Jerome mumbled. "Yeah." Madeline frowned.

"That wasn't so enthusiastic!" she commented. _Shut up, Madeline! _

"You seem like a good man, Mitch," Jackson said. He gestured loosely at him with his fork. "It'd be good to see you around more." _Dad! No! Not okay! Not okay!_

"Well, Mr Aceti, we aren't exactly best mates," Mitch said smoothly. "I know him through a friend." Jerome looked at him, surprised. _He's handling this surprisingly well. And I say this like I know him! Gah!_

"Ah, that's too bad," Jackson said, sounding disappointed. From there, he moved on. "So, Madeline! How is Sasha liking school?" Jerome looked at Mitch and Mitch glared at him, mouthing, "You owe me". Jerome frowned and looked at his plate. Someone kicked him from under the table, and Jerome looked up to see Mitch glaring poisonously at him. Jerome rolled his eyes and mouthed, "fine" back. Mitch scowled, but Jerome noticed the oddest thing: in his eyes, he saw relief.

Mitch sighed and looked down at his food, taking up some salad and biting it, chewing quickly. _Wow. I survived that. Point one to me. _Paul looked at Mitch from his place two spots along in the opposite side. He raised an eyebrow and Mitch looked away. _Great. Choose now to start acting like a dad. Let's pretend you didn't miss the last ten or so years of my crappy life._

"Mitch! How's school for you?" Mrs Aceti asked kindly, and Mitch felt a twist in his chest. _Shit. I'm failing all my classes, my teachers are giving up on me; no one will be my lab partner because they think I'll murder them…_

"It's going well," Mitch replied. "I didn't expect so much work this year though."

"What's your favourite class?" Cynthia questioned. _History. But my teacher hates me so I can't really enjoy it._

"Oh, I don't really have one. I just sorta glide through all of them and all," Mitch said, feeling nervous.

"If you need any help with the classes, you can always come over and ask for help," Cynthia said. "I took a class on how to help with teenager's homework." She cracked her knuckles and pulled a face. "I'm prepared for anything!" Mitch politely laughed along with everyone else, feeling an empty longing in his heart. _Will you be my mum? Please?_

"Jerome, what's your favourite class?" Mrs McDonald asked.

"I like science. It's interesting," Jerome answered, looking at Mitch out the corner of his eye. _What? I'm not going to beat you up because you're a nerd. _

"Oh dear!" Jackson yelled, standing up and nearly knocking the plates up. "The barbeque is on fire!" Sasha squealed and Jackson and Cameron rushed to pry the fire extinguisher free. Mitch watched as his dad walked up and calmly approached the fire. He smothered it with a towel and then deftly tipped it over, spilling hot coals on the grass. They sizzled but didn't catch, and the fire was out. Mitch wasn't proud. _You didn't bother to do anything fancy when I tried to cook spaghetti and burnt myself. You sat there and stared at me while I cried. Mrs Matthews took me to the emergency room, not you. _

"That was amazing," Jackson said in surprise. Paul shrugged.

"I used to be a firefighter," he said. Mitch frowned sourly. _Used to be. Another thing you gave up on, like living. And me._

"Things like this make me wonder why we don't invite you over more!" Jackson laughed. Paul smiled thinly and Mitch rolled his eyes, looking away. _You don't invite him over because then you'd realise he's a total bitch that can't take care of his own train-wreck of a son._

* * *

**So... now we see Mitch's home life really is horrible. Do you feel bad for him? I do... ;-; AND WE HAVE THE BEGINNING OF THE TRUE MEROME! SQUEEE!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello Nerdians and welcome to chapter four! Poll on my page for you to do, don't ask questions and do it! I have your dog hostage! IF YOU DON'T VOTE ON THE POLL I'LL... I'LL DO SOMETHING TO YOUR DOG! LIKE DRESS IT UP IN A ONESIE! **

* * *

**CHAPTER FOUR**

"Jerome! Jerome, get back down here!" Cynthia snapped. Jerome ignored her, storming up the stairs. She ran up after him and grabbed his hand, spinning him around.

"Jerome Robert Aceti! What on earth is your problem?" Cynthia demanded, crossing her arms.

"Why did you invite _him_?" Jerome said angrily, pointing vaguely over his shoulder in the direction of Mitch's house. "I hate him! He's always mean to my friends, and he acts like a total douche!"

"Mitchell seems like a perfectly nice boy," Cynthia replied. "I think you just got off on the wrong foot."

"Wrong foot? Are you kidding me? He's a dick!" Jerome yelled.

"Watch your language!" Cynthia said, brow furrowing. "I don't have time to argue over this with you. He's coming out on the camping trip, no buts. Now I need to go get ready for the dinner!" she said, pushing past Jerome and walking into her bedroom. Jerome clenched his fists. The camping trip – bound to be the worst weekend of his life. _How did I get into this?_

"Paul! We've been planning a camping trip with the McDonald's for a while now, would you like to come along with your son? It would be excellent if you could," Jackson had said with a smile. "It can finally be a definite neighbour's moment!"

"Oh, sure. I'd love to go. When was the last time we've gone camping, Mitch?" Paul had replied, looking at Mitch. But Mitch was too busy staring at Jerome in horror. Jerome had given him the same face, jaw dropping.

"Mum, I don't think it's a good idea-" Jerome had started, but his mother had frowned.

"Jerome! Where are your manners? Be polite!" Cynthia had snapped.

"But _mum_-"

"I think it would be lovely to come along," Paul had said quickly. Jerome had banged his head on the table and Mitch had excused himself to use the bathroom. When he came back, the topic had changed, but Mitch and Jerome refused to look at each other, dreading the next weekend. _That's_ how he'd gotten into this situation.

"I'm disappointed, Jerome," Jackson said as he walked up the stairs and past Jerome. "I expected you to have more manners."

"Well, I'd be happier if I wasn't being forced to spend the night with someone who wants to kill me!" Jerome shouted. Jackson walked into the bedroom and closed it softly, not slamming it like Cynthia.

"Jerome?" a small voice asked. Jerome looked down to the foot of the stairs and saw Grace, who was picking at a loose thread on her dress. "Why are you yelling?" Jerome softened.

"Oh, I just… I just don't exactly want to go on the camping trip anymore," Jerome replied. Grace nodded and walked up the steps, hugging Jerome's leg.

"Are you babysitting me tonight?" she asked the fabric of his jeans.

"Yep," Jerome answered, rubbing her head absently. "Did you have fun with Sasha?"

"Yeah. We played tag for a while and after we ate we played in the cubby, but we saw a spider so we had turns on the swing after," Grace said, looking up at him. Jerome smiled.

"Awesome. Look, I need to finish off some homework. You go watch some cartoons," Jerome said. Grace nodded and skipped down the stairs before running into the living room. _Now I need to add the conclusion to that stupid essay. _Jerome walked into his room and opened his computer quickly, collapsing into his chair.

"I did this in one day," he muttered. "I better get an award or something." After adding a short conclusion – because by then Jerome was sick of working – he gave up and printed it off and left it at that.

"We're leaving!" came the faint shout from downstairs. Standing up and padding downstairs, Jerome stood at the foot of the stairs and watched his mother, who was dressed in a slinky red dress with her blonde curls piled up, was busy laying out some money on the counter as his dad, who wore a sharp black tux with a red bowtie, checked his watch every five seconds.

"There's enough money for pizza," Cynthia said over the sound of the TV blaring some happy song about flowers as Grace sang along. "Make sure she has a bath and that she does any homework she does. And she needs to be in bed by nine." Cynthia hugged him quickly and as she pulled away, she smiled.

"I'm sorry we had a fight earlier," she said. "I know it's hard, because you really don't like Mitchell, but it's only a weekend, and then you don't have to worry about him any other time. Okay?" Jerome hesitated, before relenting and smiling softly.

"Alright," he muttered. He gave her a peck on the cheek. "Have fun. Bye, dad. Bye mum."

"Bye sweetie!" Cynthia said as she walked out. Jerome listened to Grace say goodbye, and then the door opened and closed and they drove off. Picking up the phone and walking into the living room, Jerome looked at Grace.

"Go have a bath quickly, and I'll order pizza," Jerome said. "Hawaiian or Pepperoni?"

"Hawaiian!" Grace chirped, jumping up and running past him. She paused halfway up the stairs and looked at him over her shoulder.

"Can I use the bubble bath?" she asked hopefully. Jerome shrugged.

"Why not?" he said. "Don't make a mess."

"Yay! Thanks Jerome!" Grace yelled. She ran up the rest of the steps with loud thumps and Jerome heard the bathroom door slam and the bath turn on. Jerome punched in the number of the pizza place into the landline.

"Hi? Yeah, can I please have a large Hawaiian pizza? No extras, thanks," Jerome said. He continued to give them the address and when he was finished, Jerome thanked him and put the landline back in its little cradle on the wall.

"It'll be here in fifteen minutes!" Jerome yelled up the steps. "Be quick!" Jerome heard a muffled yell back and rolled his eyes. He walked in the living room and sat on the couch, picking up the remote and flicking through the channels. Nothing good was on, much to Jerome's disappointment. The doorbell rang a few minutes later, and Jerome jumped.

"It's been five minutes, how could they do it so quick?" Jerome muttered. He stood up, stretched, and walked to the front door. He opened it, expecting it to be the pizza guy, and was met with Mitch. Mitch opened his mouth to speak but Jerome cut him off.

"No," Jerome said simply, and then he slammed the door shut in Mitch's face. The doorbell rang again and Jerome groaned. "Go away!"

"Nope," Mitch said, voice muffled through the door. "We need to talk."

"No!" Jerome yelled, turning around and pressing his back to the door.

"We need to talk. Let me in," Mitch said.

"I'm not letting you in!"

"We're spending the fricking weekend together in the middle of nowhere, Jerome. If you can't talk to me now we aren't going to survive this."

"I have a feeling I'm going to come down with the bubonic plague on Friday."

"You're going, no matter what. Talk. Now," Mitch said calmly. Jerome sighed, slapping his forehead and screwing his eyes shut. _He's right. We are going to be spending the weekend in the middle of nowhere with our families. _

"If you try and murder me, I'll sue you," Jerome said as he opened the door. Mitch looked at him and stepped in, scowling.

"I'd like to see you try," Mitch replied. Jerome frowned as Mitch walked into the living room and sat on the couch casually. _Now he's acting fine! What the hell?_

"Why are you here?" Jerome asked, crossing his arms as he walked into the living room. Jerome didn't sit, choosing to stand and glare at Mitch. Mitch glared back.

"What are you doing to me?" Mitch asked bluntly. Jerome groaned and threw his hands up.

"I'm not doing _anything_!" Jerome yelled. "Whatever's going on, it's _you_!" Mitch stood up, his eyes burning slowly. Jerome wanted to take a step back but stood his ground. The room was silent except for the television, which was boasting a new toilet paper that was guaranteed to make life easier in the home.

"You make me tongue-tied, and I can't think. It's frustrating me, because you make me want to… I don't know why I keep helping you out! You're doing something, and it's making me feel weird!" Mitch said, frustrated. Jerome watched him silently. Mitch looked down at his feet, clenching and unclenching his fists. "I don't know how I feel, 'cause I've never felt this way before! I can't explain it!"

"I… I feel the same way," Jerome whispered. "There's something about you that's got me interested, and when I look at you… my mind just goes blank .There's something going on with you and I want to figure it out. I don't like the feeling of not knowing what's happening, and it hasn't hit me yet. I don't know which one of us is doing… whatever's going on, but I want it to stop as much as you do." Mitch huffed, putting his head in his hands.

"When you put it like that you make it sound like you love me," Mitch said, a dry laugh escaping his mouth.

"I don't love you!" Jerome snapped quickly. "I hate you! You've made life living hell for everyone at school, these past few days you keep running into me and now you're showing up at my house! _Get out of my life_!"

"I would if I could!" Mitch yelled, showing emotion for the first time visually. His face twisted, and he looked down. _He never shows emotion on his face. Only his eyes. What is going on with him?_

"What do you mean?" Jerome demanded.

"I'm not going to be able to let this go!" Mitch snapped. "And we have that stupid camp, and we go to school together, and Mat's going to keep harassing you now because of what you said! I can't help it, but I'm stuck with you now and we're going to have to deal with it!"

"Jerome?" a voice said quietly. Jerome and Mitch looked at the entrance to the kitchen and Jerome paled.

"Grace? What's up?" Jerome asked nervously.

"Why are you and that guy yelling?" she asked, voice shaking slightly.

"Uh…" Jerome stammered. Grace pulled the hem of her purple shirt down, shuffling her feet, the ends of her pants dragging on the carpet. "Go upstairs for a while, okay? I need to sort this out. And Grace?" Grace looked at him expectantly, and Jerome swallowed thickly.

"You can't tell mum and dad, okay? No matter what," Jerome said. Grace looked surprised and doubtful, twisting some of her wet hair around her fingers.

"You mean lie?" she asked.

"Well, it's not lying if they don't know about it," Jerome said quickly. "Pinkie promise you won't tell?" Jerome asked. Grace hesitated, and then walked forward and wrapped her pinkie finger around Jerome's.

"Pinkie promise," she replied, smiling.

"Thanks. Now go upstairs, I'll call you when the pizzas ready," Jerome said, shooing her upstairs. Grace ran off and Jerome looked at Mitch, waiting for his remark.

"What?" Mitch asked, exasperated. "Am I expected to do something?"

"Well, I was expecting a very loud "gaaay" from you but I'll take your silence as a win," Jerome said sourly. Mitch scowled, and Jerome sighed, rubbing his face.

"We need to work this out," Jerome said, voice tired. "You're right. We're kinda stuck with each other." Mitch growled and muttered something under his breath, and Jerome sighed as the doorbell rang.

"That'll be the pizza guy," Jerome muttered. He started to walk over to the door and paused, looking over his shoulder at Mitch.

"Uh… do you maybe want to… eat with us? We can talk afterwards," Jerome muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. Mitch looked hesitant, and then let out a long sigh.

"Sure. Not like my dad's going to worry where I am," Mitch answered, and Jerome nodded, testing out a smile in his direction. One corner of Mitch's lips lifted, and as Jerome turned to answer the door, he smiled to himself. _I made him-almost smile. One point for me._

* * *

Mitch ate the pizza silently. Grace, Jerome's little sister, kept casting him odd looks, and then would ask Jerome _again _why Mitch was over. Jerome would reply with "We needed to talk about high school stuff" patiently each time, but it was getting on Mitch's nerves. He felt trapped at the small table, with a little girl on his left and Jerome across from him at the dining table.

"Your hair is spikey," Grace said suddenly, reaching up to touch Mitch's head. Mitch scooted away and Grace's face fell. _Shit. Don't cry. Please, please don't cry. _

"Grace, when you're done, you can watch some more telly, alright?" Jerome said. Grace nodded, and pushed away from the table and hopped off her chair. She pushed her chair in and walked to the sink, depositing her plate in with a clunk. The television turned on and Jerome looked at Mitch. Mitch felt his face fall into its familiar scowl as he looked down at his empty plate.

"How are we going to do this?" Jerome asked softly.

"I'm going to see if I can get out of the camping trip," Mitch replied. His mind was pulling a blank. While they'd been eating, he'd had the faint idea of a plan but now that Jerome had started taking, it was like his plan had been taken away by the wind. _He talks: mind goes blank. He looks at me: mind goes blank. What the hell is wrong with me? Is he a sorcerer or something?_

"What about Mat?" Jerome asked. Mitch looked up and waved his hand vaguely.

"He's just a druggie. He'll do whatever I say," Mitch said. "He isn't a concern."

"Well, he was a concern when he was about to beat my face in," Jerome snapped. Jerome's phone buzzed suddenly and Jerome jammed his hand in his pocket. He looked at his phone and cursed under his breath. Mitch sighed and rolled his eyes, putting his head in one hand and drawing abstract patterns on the wooden table with his finger while Jerome tapped around on his phone for a minute.

"Well, Zak thinks I'm dead because I didn't reply to his earlier text messages," Jerome groaned. "Now he's coming over."

"When?" Mitch asked curiously, looking at Jerome lazily through one eye.

"Now," Jerome said sheepishly. That caught Mitch's attention. He sat up straight.

"What?" Mitch snapped.

"You can go if you want," Jerome said softly. Mitch glared at him for a moment, and then sighed.

"What do you think?" Mitch mumbled, attempting to test the ground between them. Jerome sat back in his chair, blinking in surprise.

"You want _my_ opinion?" He asked, shocked. Mitch let out a long breath.

"Don't test me. I asked, now you answer," Mitch grumbled.

"Well… I don't really know," Jerome said, baffled. "I was expecting you to storm out and all." Mitch smiled thinly, much to Jerome's visible surprise.

"Stop trying to anticipate what I'm going to do," Mitch said. "I think I'll stay. No reason in cutting off our ever so entertaining conversation." Jerome wrinkled his nose.

"You were being sarcastic, right?" Jerome asked, and Mitch sighed, fingers forming a fist on the table.

"We have a lot to do if I'm not going to murder you before this camping trip," Mitch said, and Jerome nodded.

"Yeah, I guess we do."

* * *

**I'm trying to keep these chapters long, so each one is between seven and five pages long on word in size ten font. So they are pretty substantial, but they don't SEEM long because the pages on here are so wide... anyway! Do the poll and stuff! Check out my other stories if you haven't already! Yeah! **

**Quick question before I leave: Do you want to see more of Grace in future chapters? She isn't a main character, more like a supporting character, but tell me if you want to see more of her! And also, if you didn't know already, the main characters for this will be Mitch, Jerome, Jerome's parents, Caitlyn, Sydney, Mat, Zak and Preston. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey Nerdians! Sorry this update is coming so late, I've been arranging for this story to have a cover made by the wonderfully talented and amazing ProKrastinat0r, or xxFallenTributexX on DeviantART! Go check her out!**

**Don't forget to do the poll on my page or I'll be sad.**

* * *

**CHAPTER FIVE**

The knock came and Mitch stood up.

"I wanna see his reaction," he said with a twisted smile. I heard Grace murmur a greeting, and then front door opening. There was a shout of fear, a thump and a curse. I ran through the living room to the foyer and gaped. Zak had his fist up and Mitch was leaning against the key table, holding a hand to his cheek.

"Jerome! Your house is under attack by a murderer!" Zak yelled, assuming a karate pose. 'Grab Grace and run!"

"What the hell?" Mitch spat, rubbing his cheek. "I opened a door! Why the hell did you punch me?" Jerome looked at Zak and what happened clicked into place. _Oh._

"Well, since we all know each other, let's go into the kitchen, yeah?" Jerome said, forcing a smile.

"Jerome?" Zak asked, hands dropping to his sides, eyes watching Mitch warily. "What are you doing with _him _in your house?"

"Well, he showed up half an hour ago and he had dinner with us and it's… it's a really long story," Jerome said, sighing at Zak's growing look of confusion. "Come on. Let's go to the kitchen." They walked through the living room silently, with Mitch glaring poisonously at Zak and rubbing his cheek and Zak inching further and further away from Mitch.

"Hi," Grace said, but she went unnoticed. They got to the kitchen and Jerome pointed at the table. Zak sat at the complete opposite end from Mitch and Jerome sighed.

"Mitch, do you want ice for your face?" Jerome asked. Mitch glared at Zak.

"Nah. He got me by surprise," Mitch growled, pulling his hand away from his cheek and folding them on the table. Zak looked at Jerome fleetingly.

"Uh… sorry I got your cheek meat?" Zak said warily. Mitch's glare didn't break. "Jerome, I tried to be nice but he's still being mean!"

"You sound like a five year old," Jerome said sweetly as he took a seat. The table would fit six people: two chairs on each side and then one at each end. Jerome had a choice: sit next to his extremely hated "friend" or sit next to the friend who _wouldn't_ rip his head off his shoulders. Jerome sat next to Zak. Mitch looked at him for a second, something unknown flashing in his eyes.

"So… explain for Zak's poor sake?" Zak said, chuckling nervously.

"Well… my family had this barbeque for lunch and instead of just inviting the McDonald's – you know the people on our left? – Well, mum invited Mitch and his dad over too. And then after an extremely horrible lunch… mum invited them on the camping trip," Jerome said, sighing. Zak's eyes widened, but he waited patiently for Jerome to continue.

"So mum and dad went out for this fancy dinner and left me and Grace here, and then Mitch comes knocking on the door saying we need to work something out. Apparently, because Mat tried to jump me after breakfast and all-"

"Slow down," Zak ordered. "Explain why you were out for breakfast." Jerome heard Mitch groan.

"Oh, Caitlyn put her number in my phone last night," Jerome explained quickly. "I went out and had breakfast with her and Sydney, but we ran into Mitch there too. Sydney and Caitlyn ditched me and on my walk home Mat shoved me against the wall and we sorta-fought. Basically, I called him a dick – by complete accident – and then he was about to deck me when Mitch came out of nowhere and told Mat to hold off. According to Mitch, Mat's not going to be able to let that go and he's going to make my life a living hell from here on out."

"Dude," Zak breathed. "That sucks."

"Tell me about it," Jerome replied, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, Mitch came over and said we need to work something out so we don't murder each other on the camping trip. He came over when the pizza arrived so we ate with Grace, and then we've just been talking since." Jerome said. He cast a quick look at Mitch and Mitch's eyes narrowed. _Please don't tell him what we were talking about. _

"And then you butted in," Mitch added, voice hard. He stood up and Jerome frowned.

"Where are you going?" Jerome asked.

"Home," Mitch spat. "Now that you've got your boyfriend over, I'm obviously not needed."

"Boyfriend?" Zak said, brow furrowing. Jerome looked at Zak and raised an eyebrow before turning back to Mitch.

"You don't have to leave," Jerome said.

"What, so all the sudden you go from wanting me to piss off to wanting me to stay?" Mitch growled. "Stop being so confusing! If you want something just… just say it!" Jerome was surprised by Mitch's outburst. _He actually showed a human emotion other than anger there. Progress._

"Wow," Zak said. "That was unexpected."

"Shut up, fatty!" Mitch snapped.

"Hey! It's only okay when my friends call me fat!" Zak huffed, crossing his arms.

"Please don't argue," Jerome sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Mitch looked at Jerome for a second, uncertainty crossing his eyes, and then Mitch turned and stormed out, the front door slamming. Jerome crossed is arms and looked at Zak in annoyance.

"Well?" Jerome said.

"I'm not apologising," Zak said, sticking out his lip. "He's a dick."

"_You_ provoked him!" Jerome said

"He was in your house! I was defending you!" Zak retorted. "That's what friends do!" Jerome's arms dropped to his sides and Jerome looked at the clock.

"It's nine. I need to get Grace to bed. You should go, I don't know when my parents are getting back," Jerome said softly .Zak opened his mouth as if to say something, and then closed it.

"Fine," Zak said, standing up. Jerome stood by the table and listened as he trudged through the living room, said bye to Grace, and then the door opened and closed softly. There was the sound of a car starting up and then Zak was gone .Jerome sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Geez," he muttered, before speaking up. "Grace! Do your teeth and head off to bed!" Jerome yelled. The TV turned off and Grace walked past him up the stairs silently. Jerome sighed, and then set about locking up the house before collapsing on his bed.

* * *

At school on Monday, Mitch tried to avoid Jerome at all costs. He walked to school earlier than normal to avoid maybe running into him and he stood inside the school building that morning instead of at the gates. Mat still found him.

"Sup," Mat said, and they bumped fists.

"Sup. How was your weekend?" Mitch asked.

"Good. I didn't see you on Sunday, though. What happened?" Mat asked. Mitch inwardly groaned when he remembered he'd meant to go out with Mat yesterday.

"Something came up," Mitch answered vaguely, waving his hand. Mat didn't question it. In first class –which Mitch noticed he shared with Jerome – Mitch sat on the other side of the classroom and slept through the double period. It was only science, and they had a sub anyway. The teacher was too scared to wake him up and tell him to do his work. During break, Mitch threw coins at kids from the second floor with Mat. They would freak out and run off, making Mat laugh. Mitch was silent during the entire thing. Numerous times Jerome walked under their line of fire with Zak, Party Girl and Red Head. Mitch didn't throw coins at them and told Mat he'd kick his ass if he threw coins at them. In third, Mitch didn't participate and just absorbed. In fourth, which Mitch unfortunately also shared with Jerome, Mitch sat on the other side of the classroom again. This class was language, where they were learning French. Mitch knew a fair bit of French, because when he'd lived in Canada they'd taught it in school.

"Est Mitchell ici?" Madam asked, and Mitch looked up.

"Je suis ici," Mitch replied. If there was one class he was actually good at, it was language. History was fun but it didn't mean he was good at it. For the next forty-five minutes, Madam drilled them on their speaking tasks so they'd be ready for the test. Jerome kept stumbling over his pronunciations and Mitch was tempted to answer for him. When Jerome pronounced "I have a little sister" wrong again, Mitch nearly threw his book at him.

No, it is 'j'ai une petite soeur'," Madam said, slightly annoyed.

"Idiot, that's simple," Mitch muttered under his breath. Madam over heard him somehow with her bat ears and turned to look at Mitch.

"Would you like to do Jerome's work then, Mr Hughes?" she asked coldly.

"Sure," Mitch replied lazily. Surprise sparked in Madam's eyes. Mitch never offered to do work.

"Well then," Madam said, gesturing him for to stand. "Do it." Mitch rose up slowly, looking at Jerome.

"Son nom est Jerome Aceti. Il vit avec sa mère et son père et a une petite sœur nommée Grace. Apparemment, il aime à planche à roulettes," Mitch said with a smirk. Jerome's jaw dropped and Madam smiled.

"That was… excellent. Congratulations, Mr Hughes," Madam said. The class applauded politely… and with fear.

"Aucun probleme," Mitch answered, sitting back down. Jerome stared at him, eyes wide. He smiled and Mitch shrugged. Jerome looked away, still smiling, and Mitch felt incredibly pleased with himself. At lunch, Mitch went out the front of the school and continued to avoid Jerome, with Mat following him around listlessly. The last two classes passed quickly and before Mitch knew it he was at home. He avoided his extremely drunk father, made a sandwich, and didn't come out of his room until the next morning, not taking out his earphones. On Tuesday, Mitch walked up to the school this time stood out the front. As Jerome walked in, he waved cautiously. Mitch shrugged to himself and waved back. Jerome seemed surprised and Zak gave him a dirty look. Red Head – apparently named Sydney – gave him the finger, and Party Girl – Caitlyn – looked at him suspiciously. _So… that's new. I got waved to. It felt nice, I guess. Wait… I'm meant to hate Jerome, right? He seems like he could be nice, if you got past the fact he acts like a douche and has a gay name. _Tuesday passed uneventfully, and Madam called on Mitch multiple times in Language, and Mitch surprised everyone by actually participating. On Wednesday, _Jerome_ was the one that surprised everyone. In the cafeteria, Jerome walked over to Mitch, of all people, and set his tray down on the table and sat beside him. The cafeteria was silent, everyone waiting for Mitch to slaughter Jerome.

"Hi," Jerome said, not even sounding cautious. _He's acting different. Has he gotten over the fact he hates me? I hope he hasn't. I don't want him to act all friend-ish! _

"What are you doing?" Mitch hissed under his breath, hands frozen in the middle of opening his can of coke.

"Sitting with you," Jerome answered, like it was obvious. Mitch's mind flashed back to the café. _What are you doing here? Having breakfast, dumbass. What does it look like I'm doing? _Mitch inwardly cringed. He hated asking stupid questions. They were a waste of time.

"Maybe you shouldn't…" Mitch murmured.

"I thought we were getting used to each other. And you haven't been trying very hard, what with avoiding me," Jerome whispered back. The cafeteria was beginning to return to its normal routine, glances still being tossed in their direction. Someone sitting with Mitch was amazingly out of the ordinary. And the fact Mitch hadn't blown up and Jerome's head wasn't smashed into a wall was also pretty amazing.

"I don't want to get used to you," Mitch muttered. "I want you to leave me alone."

"Did I thank you for saving my ass in language? I don't think I did," Jerome went on, ignoring his comment.

"Jerome."

"You took her attention off me and I didn't have to pretend I did know what I was doing-"

"Jerome!" Mitch snapped. Jerome looked at him, cheeks flushing.

"Sorry," Jerome said, looking down at his tray. Mitch sighed and opened his can, nearly forgetting he was still holding it. "Look, we go on the trip on _Friday_. It's _Wednesday_. We have to do something!"

"Well, you already seem pretty cool with invading my personal space," Mitch growled.

"You have an entire table to yourself and Mat isn't here today," Jerome said smugly, unwrapping his chicken sandwich. "Everyone's too scared to sit with you." _Ouch. That hit hard… but I like people being scared. It keeps them away, unlike this idiot… _Mitch sighed.

"I don't want to pretend we're friends," Mitch said finally. Jerome shrugged, smiling in his direction as he calmly set down his sandwich.

"I'm trying very, _very_ hard, Mitch. I don't want to do this anymore than you do, but at least I'm giving it a go," Jerome said, voice careful and controlled. Mitch tensed up.

"Jerome, you need to stop trying and just get with it. We're obviously not going to be friends. We're too different," Mitch said.

"How are we different?" Jerome asked, sounding hurt.

"You have two parents, a loving home, friends; you've probably never done anything wrong. You're perfect. I'm a messed-up train-wreck with a mother that ran away 'cause she was sick of me, a dad who's always drunk and I do so much horrible stuff I can't keep track of it," Mitch said, blinking only once, face stone. _Don't cry. Do not cry. No emotion. No emotion allowed or you're in for it. _Jerome blinked a few times, surprise on his face.

"Geez, Mitch. You…" Jerome trailed off. "You think I'm perfect? You're really off there."

"How am I 'really off there'?" Mitch snarled. "You… you've got the picturesque suburban family and I don't. You go to church and I've never been near one. You have a family that loves you. The closest thing I have to a caring adult is a _waitress_, Jerome. How does that make me wrong?" _Stop talking. I hate him and I'm pouring my mind out for him just to prove him wrong. Everyone's going to think I'm a wimp. I just need to shut up and move._

"Mitch…?" Jerome said as Mitch stood up.

"I need to go," Mitch said simply. He walked out of the cafeteria, head up high, glaring at anyone that looked at him sideways. Mitch walked out the front of the school, through the gates, and didn't come back for the last two classes, not that he thought anyone would care… or notice.

* * *

**I know, I know! It's more of a filler chapter, but all the action is going to happen on the Friday and on the camping trip. I would elaborate more but I'm leaving soon to go see Captain America 2, so yeah! TALK TO YOU PEOPLE LATER!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello Nerdians! I am sorry for missing yesterday's update, and I will try (keyword being try) to get a double up tonight because I REALLY don't want to do a triple update tomorrow... BECAUSE TOMORROW IS EASTERR!**

**Oh, and the beautiful and amazing new cover is by xxFallenTributexx on DeviantART, my new internet friend! (if you aren't my internet friend Pro, I is sad ;-;) GO CHECK HER OUT OR... OR ELSE!**

* * *

**CHAPTER SIX**

That afternoon, Jerome stood on the street outside Mitch's house, agonising over whether or not to go up to the door and knock. _Do I make sure he's okay? Or will that make me seem like I'm worried about him? Hell, I am worried about him, but knowing him, he'll take it the wrong way… but I don't know him! Why am I thinking like this? I only started talking to him five days ago! Even then, the first time I spoke to him was when he pushed me against the wall! _

"Jerome?" Cynthia called. Jerome nearly jumped out of his skin, looking quickly at his house. Cynthia stood on the doorstep, brow furrowed. "What are you doing out standing out here looking at the Hughes's house? It's cold!"

Um… sorry, mum!" Jerome called back, hurrying up the sidewalk onto the path up to his house. His mum watched him rush up to the doorstep, looking surprised.

"What's the hurry all the sudden?" she said with a laugh as Jerome squeezed past her and ran into the living room.

"I have some homework to do!" Jerome said over his shoulder as he walked quickly into the kitchen. Cynthia followed him in, frowning.

"You're never in a hurry to finish homework," she said suspiciously. Jerome paused, halfway up the stairs.

"I have a language task," Jerome said vaguely, hand tightening on the banister. "I need to study." With that, Jerome ran up the last steps two at a time and ran into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him by accident. He leaned against the door and breathed a small sigh.

"Geez," Jerome muttered, turning and hanging up his bag. He kicked off his shoes and walked over to the window. He put his hands on his dresser and stared out it at the window Mitch had looked at him through on Saturday, squinting. "Gotta find out if he's okay." Jerome grabbed the cold window sill and heaved it up, letting in a blast of cold air.

"Mitch!" Jerome hissed. The sun was setting, and it cast annoyingly bright rays of light in Jerome's eyes. "Mitch!" Jerome said, raising his voice. Jerome didn't expect Mitch to answer, so he yelped and stumbled backwards when the curtains in the window were yanked suddenly to the side to reveal a glaring, pissed off Mitch. Mitch opened the squeaky window and his glare didn't waver.

"What?" Mitch asked angrily. "I'm trying to sleep over here and you yelling isn't helping." _I was yelling? Oh. _Jerome was suddenly at a loss for words. Mitch impatiently ran a hand through his ruffled hair.

"Uh…" Jerome stuttered, before a small smile grew on his lips. "I need help with my language work." Mitch groaned, but for once, he smiled.

* * *

On Thursday, Mitch waited at the gates for Jerome. He had never waited for anyone, besides Mat - who wasn't present again. Jerome showed up with Zak, Sydney and Caitlyn, and when he veered off course in Mitch's direction they all froze.

"Jerome?" Zak called out nervously. Jerome looked over his shoulder and flashed them a smile, but kept walking towards Mitch. _I think I could get used to people. Except Jerome is a pushy bitch and all, but… he's growing on me._

"Hey Mitch," Jerome said cheerfully. "Thanks for the help last night." Mitch smirked. The look of total surprise on Mrs Aceti's face had been priceless when Mitch showed up and Jerome had told her he'd invited him. Mrs Aceti had been baffled but had gladly let Mitch in and asked if he'd be staying for dinner. _It was fun, hanging out with someone. I guess. He's still an idiot._

"Yeah," Mitch replied. The playground was practically silent, everyone staring at Jerome, the boy who would walk up to Mitch fearlessly _two days in a row_ and not be ripped to pieces. It was like their small worlds were ending. If someone could – god forbid – tame the impossible terror that was Mitchell Hughes, it surely meant that even the worst could be fixed, but it would leave the students with nothing to gossip about. It would take away the main thing they _feared_. What would they all do then? Mitch looked around at everyone looking at the two, and Mitch's face flushed.

"What are you looking at?" Mitch roared. Jerome flinched and took a step back, and the entire playground went back to their chatter, nervously talking about pointless topics, trying not to look at them.

"Geez," Jerome mumbled. Jerome looked over his shoulder and saw Caitlyn, Zak and Sydney staring at him in disbelief. Mitch sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"They still don't like me, do they?" Mitch asked.

"You made their lives hell for a couple years. It'll take a while for them to recover," Jerome answered. Jerome looked at Mitch and smiled slightly, the corners of his mouth lifting. "Something about you changed. I don't know what, but you seem a lot… softer around me after last night." Mitch looked away, not showing any emotion on his face.

"I burned all my bridges years ago," Mitch said, voice distant. "But you're letting me rebuild them."

* * *

"What the hell," Sydney breathed. Caitlyn looked at her, knotting her fingers together.

"Jerome doesn't make friends that easily. Especially not with the school demon spawn," Zak said. Caitlyn watched Jerome talk to Mitch, Mitch replying without a hint of anger. It was amazing.

"Caitlyn?" someone asked. Caitlyn turned, playing with the hem of her shirt nervously.

"Preston. Hi," Caitlyn said, smiling at the newcomer. Preston looked over Caitlyn's shoulder and raised an eyebrow.

"Is that Jerome?" Preston asked. Caitlyn nodded wordlessly. "Last time I saw those two together was when Mitch had him against the wall."

"It's bloody bullshit!" Sydney snapped. "Mitch has him under some spell!"

"Or Jerome is the one doing the magic-casting," Zak said.

"Jerome… from what I've got from him, he's a goody two-shoes who does everything methodically and right," Caitlyn said to no one. "So why, out of all people, would be start hanging out with _Mitch_? They're polar opposites!"

"That's why they're friends, if they are at all," Preston said. "It's like a magnet."

"Explain, I sleep in science," Sydney demanded. Preston rolled his eyes and cast a small smile in Caitlyn's direction, making her blush. Zak caught it and grinned like a maniac.

"Well, my uneducated Irish friend, magnets are attracted to their opposites. Negative and Positive. It's because of their differences that they are, in a word, attracted to each other. If they were exactly the same, they wouldn't work. Like how if you try and put two Positive sides together, they'll push away. But if you try and put Negative and Positive together, they'll come to each other willingly without much prompt," Preston explained. Sydney's face looked blank.

"I'll pretend that makes sense, Purston-"

"It's _Preston_," Preston corrected. Caitlyn smirked and pulled her sleeves over her hands, playing with the loose threads of her cardigan. _Preston looks cuter when he's annoyed._

"Whatever, Pearston. I just want to know why Mitch is all the sudden best mates with Jerome," Sydney said. "He's completely changed in the space of seven days!"

"It isn't like Jerome," Zak said, brow furrowed. "I've known him for years. Something else is going on, and I don't think even Jerome knows it. Did I mention that I went over to Jerome's house on Saturday and Mitch was with him?" Caitlyn gaped. _Oh, geez. _

"Oh my god, seriously?" Caitlyn asked. Caitlyn suddenly became aware Preston was standing right next to her and her face warmed. "What did you do?"

"I punched his cheek meat," Zak said with a shrug.

"Bull," Sydney coughed into her hand.

"No, serious!" Zak said, adamant. "I freaked and punched him when he opened the door!"

"We ran into him at the café Saturday morning," Caitlyn added. "After Mitch traded word slaps with Sydney and shoved Jerome around, he went and sat up the back. After that, Jerome wouldn't stop talking about him, talking about how he wanted to help him."

"You went to a café on Saturday?" Zak asked, sounding hurt. "And you didn't invite me?"

"Dude, the reason we went to the café is because Jerome told me you ditched him to nurse your hangover," Caitlyn shot back.

"I just remembered!" Zak said suddenly. "Jerome said on his walk home from the café trip that I wasn't invited to Mat cornered him and started shoving him around, and right when Mat was about to knock him down Mitch swooped in and saved his ass."

"So, are we going to go Mystery Inc. on this and solve the mystery?" Preston asked, cracking a smile. Caitlyn looked at him and smiled.

"I used to love watching that show!" Caitlyn said. Preston looked at her in surprise.

"Really? That's so-"

"Guys? Not a time for flirting," Sydney butted in. Both Preston and Caitlyn blushed, making Zak's smile widen.

"We need to figure this out," Zak said. "What is the ulterior motive? Jerome wouldn't be putting his life on the line for a guy, especially when they both hate each other."

"Ulterior motive?" Caitlyn asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, as I've said, they hate each other," Zak said. "I don't think Jerome would do this without wanting something out of it." The group was silent. _That makes Jerome sound like he's greedy. _An idea popped into Caitlyn's head and she swallowed, fists clenching, the material of the cardigan rubbing against her palms.

"Maybe Jerome wants to fix him," Caitlyn said eventually. "He mentioned something along those lines."

"So he might be doing it so he feels like he's helping the world?" Preston said dubiously. "That sounds nice, in a weird and messed up way."

"Out of all the things to suggest Caitlyn, you say it's because he wants to fix him," Zak said, shaking his head slightly. "Geez. Is it even possible to fix Mitch? He's a lost case."

"Jerome is capable," Sydney said, shrugging. "He survived a wild Mat encounter and all, and if he provoked him to the point of nearly getting decked he would've had the balls to say something." The bell rang for homeroom and Caitlyn looked at Jerome, who was still chatting away, with Mitch… actually _smiling_.

"Oh my god, look!" Caitlyn yelled, grabbing Preston's arm and jerking him around. Sydney stared and Zak's jaw dropped.

"_Jerome_ is making _Mitch_ smile?" Zak choked.

"Holy shit," Sydney marvelled. "I knew Jerome was a wizard." Zak, Caitlyn and Preston looked at Sydney oddly, and she shrugged with a smile.

"Well, I'm off to class! Bye!" Caitlyn said, before running away up the steps and inside the building. Caitlyn looked down at her hand and saw it was still latched onto Preston's arm.

"Bye," Zak said, winking at Caitlyn before following Sydney away. Caitlyn blushed and Preston smiled.

"We should… go to class?" he asked gently. Caitlyn looked at her feet and pulled her hand away, realising it was shaking slightly.

"Yeah. Class," Caitlyn said, and the two of them started to walk. Caitlyn looked over her shoulder and saw Mitch and Jerome only just now beginning the walk up. Caitlyn pushed some of her hair over her ear and felt something warm intertwine with her free hand. Looking at it in shock, she saw it was Preston's hand. She looked at Preston, blushing like mad, and saw he too was blushing and wore a small smile.

* * *

Jerome sat in homeroom, looking down at his notes for the language test today. Zak was staring at him from his seat beside him, and when the piece of paper hit the side of his head Jerome wasn't surprised. He unfolded it neatly and stared at the messy scrawl that donned it, reading it quickly.

_What's going on between you and Mitch? _

Jerome looked up at Zak and raised an eyebrow, before looking back down and uncapping his red pen. He wrote quickly and then passed it back to Zak.

_Nothing is 'going on' between me and Mitch. He helped me with my homework last night is all. _Zak glared at him and wrote furiously before passing it to Jerome.

_It's been happening all week! Caitlyn and Sydney told me what happened at the café, and I have the night I came over as well! And the fact you keep staring at him and that you sat with him yesterday! WHAT IS GOING ON!?_

Jerome grit his teeth as he wrote his reply.

_Nothing is happening! Am I not allowed to have other friends? _

Zak looked at Jerome, hurt flashing in his eyes.

_I'm worried about you Jerome. This guy has the capacity to rip your dick off._

Jerome let out a short, controlled breath, and pressed his pen to the paper.

_He's nice when you get to know him, Zak. Give him a chance._

Zak sighed in annoyance and crumpled up the paper. Jerome simply watched, irritated.

"Alright, class! Announcements!" Mrs Ford said as she walked into the classroom, holding the papers. She set them down on the desk and then remembered something else.

"But first, roll call!" she said, chuckling nervously. "I can never remember which to do first." Jerome looked over at Zak but Zak refused to look back. Sighing, Jerome looked back at the teacher, calling out in response to his name. He was always right at the start of the roll call because his last name started with 'A'. After roll call, the teacher babbled on about useless things which apparently were important, but Jerome paid no attention. _This is confusing. I'm starting to become friends with Mitch, but in the process I'm losing Zak._ When the bell rang and everyone started to move to first class, Jerome waited behind for Zak. Zak collected his pencils and notebook and swung his bag over his shoulder, looking coldly at Jerome.

"What?" he snapped.

"Look, Zak, I really want you to try and-"

"I'm not going to try and be friends with him. He's evil," Zak said.

"He's not evil! He's just misunderstood! He actually has a really-"

"Jerome, I don't want to hear his sob story!" Zak yelled.

"Boys? You should head on now," Mrs Fords called. Jerome nearly blushed in embarrassment but fought it down.

"I'm not going to," Zak said, and then he stormed out.

"Zak!" Jerome said, following him out. "Give him a chance!" Zak disappeared into the crowd of people and Jerome stopped, staring on as his friend left him alone.

* * *

"Madam isn't here today, so you won't be doing your test," the sub said. Mitch rolled his eyes as Kiara Lake put her hand up into the air. Kiara was, without a doubt, the smartest girl in class, but after Mitch's performance she had cast him a lot of dirty looks.

"Miss, when will Madam be back?" Kiara asked.

"I'm unsure. She's come down with the flu and I'll be taking you until she is fit to return to teaching. Today, I'll be putting on this video and you can take notes from it," the sub said as she wrote her name up on the board. Miss Robinson. She was young and pretty, with dyed red curls that bounced to her shoulders, a slim figure and black glasses. Probably just out of University and not yet tainted by the horror of teaching high school students. Mitch looked over at Jerome's seat and saw it was empty. Frowning, Mitch looked at the door. He hadn't come, and the second bell had already gone off. If he arrived now, he'd be classified as late. And then he'd probably get a detention, and somehow Mitch knew Jerome would be heartbroken. Something told Mitch Jerome didn't get detentions very often.

"Est Mitchell ici?"

"Je suis ici," Mitch replied, not looking at the teacher, eyes fixed on the door.

"Mr Hughes, I would appreciate it if you would pay attention to the front of the room," Miss Robinson said, without a hint of anger… yet.

"He's too busy looking for his boyfriend!" some kid called from the back of the room. Everything went silent, and one kid gasped. Mitch stood up slowly and turned to face the back of the room.

"Which one of you smart-ass idiots said that?" Mitch growled, fists clenched.

"Mr Hughes, please sit back-" one kid pointed at his friend, and the kid paled. Mitch stormed up to the back of the room, grabbed the boy by the collar and yanking him up out of his seat.

"Please don't kill me!" the kid yelped in fear.

"Mr Hughes!" Miss Robinson shouted, slamming her hand down on the table.

"You ever, _ever_ say something like that again and I swear I will slam you against the wall until you're a sack of bones," Mitch hissed, rage tumbling through his eyes. The kid nodded frantically, and Mitch dropped him. He fell back down heavily into his seat, and Mitch turned and saw Miss Robinson staring at him, furious.

"Mr Hughes, report to the Principal's office immediately!" Miss Robinson yelled. Mitch smirked and crossed his arm, jutting his chin in the kid's direction.

"He started it," Mitch said evenly. Miss Robinson sighed and checked her roll quickly.

"Mr Franco, stand up. Both of you are coming with me _now_," Miss Robinson snapped, walking to the door. "Class, behave while I'm gone." The Franco kid stood up shakily and followed Mitch a great deal behind him. Miss Robinson opened the door and Jerome was standing there, hand up to knock.

"You're late," Miss Robinson said. "Sit down, and I'll deal with you when I get back.

"Yes, miss," Jerome said obediently, walking inside. He looked at Mitch and raised an eyebrow, and Mitch smirked. Jerome sighed as he took his seat, and Mitch was walked out of the classroom and along the halls to the room he knew all too well:

The Principals office.

* * *

**#PRESTLYN LIVES ON!**

**And the Merome is coming... BLARGH! And Mitch is in trouble, Zak doesn't trust Jerome that much at the moment, and FF.N isn't working for me! I have been trying for the past ****_three hours_**** to get this up, but it tells me I have an error... so I deleted the Doubldil40 and used it's empty file to copy-paste this down xD**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello Nerdians! Happy late Easter and stuff ^_^ I'll double-update today because I missed a bunch of days 'cause of my laziness - I mean I was called in by the queen to rescue the President and I needed to go do important stuff (Because I totally have a life) and yeah. That's my logically reason. Let's just start the chapter because yeah. MY FAVOURITE WORD IS YEAH! YEAH!**

* * *

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Caitlyn was on office duty this morning. It was her turn, and she hated it. She sat on a seat and waited with one earphone in, dreading the moment when the office clerk would ask her to deliver a message. This was extremely unlikely, due to the fact that Ms Rosenberg was currently looking through a bridal magazine and not doing anything productive. Then the door was smacked open and a teacher Caitlyn didn't recognise marched in – unknowingly walking to the beat of Fall Out Boy - with Mitch and this idiot kid Caitlyn actually _did_ know. _Logan Franco and Mitch Hughes – wait, what? Holy shit its Mitch! _

"Ms Rosenberg, these two boys need to see the principal immediately for bad behaviour, " Unknown teacher barked. Ms Rosenberg looked up lazily.

"Sure. Sit them down and Principal DeCosta will see them soon," Ms Rosenberg answered, blinking slowly, before looking back down at her magazine. The teacher – most likely a sub, because Caitlyn knew almost all the teachers – huffed in annoyance at the lack of professionalism and told the two boys to take a seat: a seat which was right next to Caitlyn. The teacher left and Logan sat down right next to Caitlyn, swinging an arm over her shoulders.

"Hey, baby girl," he said with a wink. Caitlyn shoved his arm away and inched to the other side of her seat.

"Back off, Logan," she growled. "I don't feel like dealing with you."

"Dealing with me?" Logan said, pretending to look hurt. "But I'm the best thing to ever happen to you!"

"As if," Caitlyn said, irritation rising in her voice. "You're just an annoying little fly who won't leave me alone."

"Well, if the fly-swatter is what I think it is, come at me," Logan said, wriggling his eyebrows. Instead of reacting, Caitlyn put on a calm face.

"The fly-swatter is a bus I will personally drive over you," Caitlyn replied.

"Ouch," Logan muttered, looking away. Caitlyn smiled triumphantly, and then remembered Mitch was sitting on her right. Caitlyn quickly scooted away from the side of her chair back into the middle and stole a quick glance at Mitch. Mitch was staring at her, nothing on his face. _Supporting Sydney's theory he's actually an alien from outer space here to suck out our brains by punching the pulp out of us._

"What are you looking at?" Mitch suddenly snapped, surprising and scaring Caitlyn.

"Your ugly mug," Caitlyn shot back, feeling brave in front of him for the first time.

"Wow, so original," Mitch said with a smirk. "How long did it take for you to come up with that one?"

"About as long as your dick, so not long," Caitlyn fired, mentally high-fiving herself. _Damn, that was good. I'll have to use that again. _

"Cause you have personal experience with dicks?" Mitch said, eyes widening. "I never would've guessed!"

"What are you implying?" Caitlyn hissed. Mitch's smirk grew.

"I could be implying a number of things," he said. "But it's taking you longer than this mythical dick to figure it out."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're infuriating?" Caitlyn muttered.

"A number of people," Mitch answered.

"Mr Hughes, Mr Franco. Into my office, please," a voice boomed suddenly. All three looked up and saw Mr DeCosta standing in the doorway of his office. "Now, boys." Logan stood up and Mitch looked at Caitlyn and winked. Then he mouthed "_Round Two comes later_" and walked into the office, leaving Caitlyn shocked and slightly scared.

* * *

Jerome tapped his fingers nervously on his table, waiting for the sub to come back. _What did Mitch do? _

"Jerome, please stop tapping your nails!" Kiara Lake snapped. Jerome looked at her and his hand stilled. As soon as she turned away, Jerome started tapping again. Kiara groaned and looked over her shoulder at him. Jerome's hand stopped and she looked away. Smiling slightly, Jerome tapped the table once. Kiara made a noise halfway between a scream and a groan in frustration and banged her head on the table. The door opened and the sub entered without Mitch and Logan. She looked flustered, but stood at the front of the room and plastered on a smile, tucking some loose strands of dyed red hair over her ear.

"Sorry about that, class. We'll watch the video shortly, but you've been left some pronunciations work and – oh, yes, you! The late boy! What's your name?" the teacher said, turning on Jerome suddenly.

"J-Jerome," Jerome stuttered.

"I'll let you off once, alright?" she said sternly. Jerome nodded quickly, and the teacher turned back to the class.

"My mother sold scones and tea at the café on the corner!" she barked suddenly, pointing at a Kiara.

"Ma mère vendu des scones et thé au café du coin," Kiara replied quickly.

"_Mère_!" she said. "You are supposed to pronounce it _Mère_!" Kiara looked shocked, and the teacher moved on to another child. Finally she came to Jerome and pointed at him.

"Oh my dear, why have you sold your soul?" the teacher said.

"Oh mon cher, pourquoi avez-vous vendu votre âme?" Jerome answered nervously. The teacher raised an eyebrow.

"Good," she said, before moving on. Kiara suddenly thrust her hand up into the air and the teacher paused and looked at her.

"Miss, what is the point of this exercise? All you're doing is pulling out random phrases and telling us to translate them!" Kiara said, sounding annoyed and flustered. The teacher smiled.

"Excellent! You figured it out! Now we can watch the video!" the teacher chirped. Everyone was shocked, eyes wide and mouths gaping.

"What?" one girl spluttered. Jerome looked at her and saw it was Rebecca White. "You mean we didn't have to do all of that if we'd just protested!?"

"Yes," the teacher answered, walking up to the front of the room and putting a video into the VCR.

"How is that meant to teach us anything?" Aaron Frost asked.

"It'll teach you that sometimes you should protest and break a rule," the teacher said, eyes sparkling. The class groaned, but Jerome was silent._ She may be on to something. _

* * *

"Your behaviour is unacceptable in a school environment," Mr DeCosta said. "Mocking sexuality is unacceptable, Mr Franco. And retaliating physically is even worse, Mr Hughes." Mr DeCosta leaned forward on his desk and made a steeple with his fingers.

"I would like you to apologise to each other," Mr DeCosta said. Mitch snorted.

"We aren't in primary school," Mitch replied.

"Mr Hughes, do not talk back to your Principal."

"I thought it was a free country."

"I am not denying you rights, Mr Hughes. I am simply saying you are meant to act with respect and maturity to your elders and teachers."

"My name isn't _Mr Hughes,_ its _Mitch_."

"Well then, _Mitch, _apologise to Logan and you can return to your class without serious repercussions."

"What are you going to do, expel me?"

"Quite possibly. Your track record is… questionable."

"Fine. I'm ever so sorry I hurt you, Logan. Please accept my deepest and most heartfelt apologies," Mitch said sarcastically. Mr DeCosta sighed and closed his eyes.

"Progress, at least. Excellent use of adjectives as well, Mitchell. Now Logan, please return the favour," Mr DeCosta said. Logan rolled his eyes and smirked.

"I'm so, so sorry you're gay for Jerome. He's ugly as shit and I feel sorry for you," Logan replied. Mitch's eyes narrowed and he stood up, fists clenching.

"You little fu-"

"Mitchell, calm yourself. Logan, two weeks of detention for directly provoking classmates, vulgar language and disrespect," Mr DeCosta said, sounding disappointed. Logan stood up and gave the two a one-fingered salute.

"See you this afternoon, sir!" Logan said, before walking out. Mitch started to turn but Mr DeCosta spoke.

"Mitchell, wait," he said. Mitch paused, back turned and unsure. Finally Mitch turned back and sat down in the chair.

"Yeah?" Mitch asked guardedly.

"Why did you react the way you did to Mr Franco's name-calling? Is anything going on at home?" Mr DeCosta asked kindly.

"Something is always going on at home," Mitch huffed, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair.

"I am aware of that," Mr DeCosta said with a sigh, taking off his round-rimmed glasses and cleaning then gently before replacing them on his nose. "Who was Mr Franco referring to when he said "boyfriend"?" Mitch's eyes narrowed.

"Jerome Aceti."

"Ah. Why him?"

"I've been cutting him some slack lately, helping him with his language work. Jerome thinks that means we're suddenly friends and everyone's been getting the wrong message from it."

"Oh? How so?"

"Because I usually don't accept people so quickly."

"Hrm. Do you not sometimes think that maybe a friend would be good for you? Or a romantic other?"

"Nah. I don't need anyone," Mitch answered. "I've gotten by this far without anyone." Mr DeCosta looked troubled, and sighed slightly.

"You should head on back to class, Mitchell. Hurry now, you might make the end of your lesson," Mr DeCosta ordered, and Mitch stood up with a nod. As Mitch walked out, he saw Caitlyn staring at him. Mitch opened the door to leave but a hand grabbed his wrist.

"Wait," Caitlyn said, voice clear. Mitch looked at her hand for a second before shaking her loose.

"Don't touch me," Mitch hissed.

"Did you ever think that maybe that's why everything's weird?" Caitlyn asked desperately. "Zak told me that Jerome said he feels weird around you and that you feel the same, and I can tell he makes you feel different and confused and-"

"Where are you taking this?" Mitch growled as he walked out into the hall. Caitlyn followed him out into the empty hall.

"Did you ever stop to think maybe the reason you feel so strange around Jerome is because you lo-" Mitch whirled around quickly and pushed Caitlyn hard. She stumbled back, eyes wide.

"Don't you dare," Mitch said angrily. "Don't you dare say it."

"But-"

"No," Mitch said. He straightened up and glared at her. "You should go do your office duty. I need to go back to class." Mitch turned quickly and walked away from the baffled Caitlyn, walking into his class only as the bell rang. Mitch grabbed his bag and books and walked straight back out.

"Mitch! Hey!" Jerome called. He ran up behind him and grabbed his shoulder to get him to slow down. Mitch stopped in the middle of the hall and turned around.

"Leave me alone, will you?" Mitch said angrily, desperation hinting in his voice. People were trying to get around him in anger before realising who it was and stopping to see what would happen.

"We-We aren't friends, Jerome. You're just getting in my way!" Mitch yelled. Jerome looked hurt but his fists clenched around the straps of his bag.

"What's wrong with you?" Jerome yelled back. "One second you're mean, next you're nice, next you're making a complete fool of yourself in the hallway! Just make up your fricking mind!"

"The only one making a fool of themselves is you!" Mitch cried. "Stop living in your own stupid fantasy world where you can fix me and live in reality for once!" With that, Mitch turned quickly and walked as fast as he could out of the hall. He walked past his classroom and left the school like he had at lunch the day before and started to run. Head down and fists pumping, he sprinted, bag bouncing on his back. He didn't know where he was going until he realised he was in the café crying with Victoria's arms around him as she tried to console him.

* * *

Jerome stood alone in the middle of the hallway for the second time that day, as people began to disperse and go to their classes.

"I would say I told you so," Zak said as he materialized beside him.

"Piss off," Jerome muttered under his breath as he started walking.

"Jerome, come on!" Zak said with a laugh. Jerome stopped and Zak walked up and stood next to him. Then Zak saw Jerome's shoulders were shaking.

"So what, I can't have other friends?" Jerome said, voice rising with anger. "You hate me when it looks like I finally might be making another friend, and as soon as that's ruined it's like nothing happened?!" Zak's eyes narrowed.

"Jerome, that's-"

"What's wrong with you?" Jerome yelled.

"You're acting like a total dickwad!" Zak yelled in response. "Just because you can't get your dream boy doesn't mean you can blame it on me!"

"Dream boy? Really? That's what this is all boiling down to?!" Jerome shrieked. "I can't believe you!"

"Well believe it!" Zak screamed back.

"You're a bastard!" Jerome yelled, and he threw himself at Zak and punched him hard across the jaw. Zak stumbled back, hand holding his cheekbone, and Zak roared in anger, punching back. A few girls squealed and a group of guys started chanting "fight" over and over.

"Bitch!" Zak yelled, kicking him in the leg. Jerome tumbled down and grabbed Zak's ankle, yanking him down.

"Boys! Break it up!" a teacher yelled. Two male teachers rushed forward, one grabbing Zak and one grabbing Jerome. Still screaming insults, the teacher holding Zak pulled him further away. Jerome looked over and saw Mr DeCosta approaching, a fiery look of rage on his face.

"Both of you boys to my office now!" he roared. The teacher holding Jerome let go of his arms, and Jerome looked at Zak for a moment. _He's still holding him. I could get a good kick in his balls now. _But Jerome didn't. Instead he turned and walked away down the hall, towards the Principal's office.

* * *

"I can't believe you, Jerome. I thought you were better than having a fight in the middle of the halls!" Jackson snapped angrily. Cynthia looked at the backseat where Jerome sat, shame on her face.

"And with Zak, too. You've been best friends with him for how long?" Cynthia commented.

"Suspended for two days!" Jackson ranted. "I have the right mind to cancel this camping trip right now!"

"Gladly!" Jerome shot back. "Then I don't have to spend the weekend trapped in the middle of nowhere with Mitch, and if you actually paid attention to me you would've noticed how much he fricking hates me!"

"Mind your language!" Cynthia scolded.

"His language is all you're worried about?" Jackson said, looking at Cynthia. "He's been suspended _and_ given detention."

"How else do you want to punish him then?" Cynthia snapped. "This is his first ever fault, isn't that enough?" Jackson grit his teeth and his hands tightened on the wheel.

"We'll talk about this when get home, mister," Jackson growled. "I'm very disappointed in you."

"Like I care!" Jerome snapped.

"Jerome Robert Aceti!" Cynthia cried. "You talk with respect!"

"Respect? What do you know about Respect?" Jerome yelled. "You told me we need to go to church every Sunday, and you told me we need to say Grace and all of that, but that didn't last six months! Now we only ever go to church if you don't have your stupid Bingo games on! I can't believe you're yelling at me about respect when you've been the worst role model ever!"

"Jerome!" Jackson roared. "That is _it_!" Jackson pulled over to the shoulder of the road and got out of the car. He stormed out and opened the back door, grabbing Jerome's arm and yanking him out. Jerome stood there, arms crossed, glaring at his father.

"You are going to walk home from here and think about what you've done and get your thoughts in order!" Jackson yelled.

"Fine!" Jerome yelled back. "I don't even care anymore!" Jackson turned around and got back in the car, and then he actually drove away. Jerome stood there and watched the car drive away, and then kicked a small rock by his foot.

"They've read too many parenting books wrong," Jerome muttered as he started to walk. 'You're only meant to threaten it, not actually do it."

* * *

**I'm ending it there. I hope French people don't read this because my French translations suck even though I use a fancy website. And did you like the banter between Caitlyn and Mitch? Does it need more humour? I have no idea. I'm putting my faith in you peoples about you seem smart. Also... if you haven't done my poll do my poll or I will be very sad... and read my two one-shots Scared of the Dark and I See Fire and READ MY NEW STORY SOUL KEEPERS: REAPER'S GAME BECAUSE IT'S ONLY A PROLOGUE SO FAR AND YEAAAAH PROLOGUES **

**This is just getting embarrassing now so I'm going to go and... yeah.**

**Edit 29/04/2014: Soul Keepers actually never went up... sorry. I kept re-writing the chapters and I hated it so I decided not to upload it.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello Nerdians! I know I keep promising to double update but I never get around to it, do I? And I just brought Skyrim today soo... the chapters will be coming out slower :P Joking.**

** Maybe.**

* * *

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

Caitlyn was surprised when her phone started buzzing. Her parents would still be at work and she had – sadly – not given her number to Preston. And Sydney was out doing one of her many pointless sports. Caitlyn pulled over and picked up her phone, surprised to see Jerome's number. She swiped her thumb across the screen of her phone and held it to her ear.

"Jerome?" she asked. "What's up?"

"Hi Caitlyn. My parent's just ditched me by the side of the road somewhere between the school and the plaza, and I don't know how to get home from here. Can you maybe pick me up and drive me out to Main Street? I can get back from there," Jerome said. Caitlyn frowned.

"Wow. Sounds delightful," Caitlyn said. "I'm driving along the road now. Where are you? Like, give me a vague area."

"Near that old camping stop with the bathroom and stuff," Jerome said. Caitlyn heard him curse and smiled. _He sounds funny when he swears._

"Just my fricking luck that it starts to rain," he muttered to no one, seeming to forget he was on the phone still to Caitlyn.

"Yeah, yeah, Princess. A little water never hurt anybody. Besides, I'm nearly at the 'old camping stop with the bathroom and stuff'," Caitlyn said.

"Thanks, Caitlyn," Jerome replied, not laughing or even reacting to her attempt at banter.

"See you in a sec," Caitlyn said, before ending the call and throwing her phone somewhere on the passenger seat. Caitlyn pressed her foot down the pedal; relishing the fact this road was empty. No one travelled along this road, really. It was a quiet short-cut from the school to the main area of town and could only really be braved by four-wheel drives. And Caitlyn's busted up grey jeep was close enough. The rain started to pick up, drumming on the roof of the car and providing a grim soundtrack as Caitlyn pulled up against the shoulder of the road, looking at the sagging brick hut that was the 'old camping stop with the bathroom and stuff'. A figure rushed over to the car and Caitlyn leaned over the seat, pushing open the door. Jerome slipped in, shivering slightly and hugging his arms.

"Thanks for this," Jerome muttered, slicking back his hair from his forehead and sitting awkwardly.

"Don't worry about wetting anything. This car is a crap box," Caitlyn said, waving her hand. Jerome nodded and slouched back in the seat with a long sigh. Caitlyn shifted gears and pulled away from the curb. They rode in silence for a minute before the silence drove Caitlyn partially insane.

"Why are so depressed and stuff?" Caitlyn asked. The dirt road was turning to slushy mud, and the engine was making a very upset sound.

"I feel like everything's against me," Jerome said gloomily, staring out the windscreen as the wipers worked double time to provide visibility.

"That's poetic," Caitlyn replied. "Why do you feel like that?"

"Because Zak is just being frustrating, my parents ditched me and…" Jerome trailed off.

"And?" Caitlyn prompted. Jerome let out a short breath.

"I can't decide how I feel about Mitch, and it's hurting my brain," Jerome said quickly. Caitlyn felt a pang in her chest.

"About that…" she said, chuckling nervously. "I may have provoked Mitch to the point of blowing up today."

"You saw that?" Jerome asked, surprised.

"Everyone passing through saw that," Caitlyn retorted. "But he was sent out in first for a fight or something, and I heard him talking to DeCosta. He came out and I confronted him about if… maybe if the reason you both felt weird is because you… like… you know…" Caitlyn coughed awkwardly.

"I really doubt it," Jerome mumbled. "I'm just confused whether or not we're friends."

"Are you sure?" Caitlyn asked, unsure if she was testing weaker waters.

"I'm pretty sure," Jerome snapped. Then he softened. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's fine. You're in that mind space," Caitlyn said with a smile. She looked over her shoulder quickly before returning her gaze to the road.

"We're coming up on Main Street. If you're going to walk, there's an umbrella in the back. Or I could drive you all the way home," Caitlyn offered.

"You'd do that?" Jerome asked, sounding slightly shocked as he shifted in his seat to look to at her. Caitlyn smiled.

"Of course. You're my friend, after all," Caitlyn said.

"But we only met on Friday night…" Jerome said, surprised. Caitlyn made a stupid noise with her lips.

"That's never stopped me," Caitlyn answered. "What's your address?"

"Twenty-eight Oakside Avenue," Jerome replied, the beginning of a smile on his lips. Caitlyn whistled.

"Fancy. I wonder how Mitch's parents can afford such a pricey suburb," Caitlyn said.

"_Parent_," Jerome corrected. "He lives with his dad."

"How do you know?" Caitlyn asked, surprised.

"He came over on Saturday for a family barbeque. My parents got talking to his dad and apparently Mitch's mum left when he was six without any explanation," Jerome explained. Caitlyn winced.

"Ouch. That would've been hard," Caitlyn said, feeling a moment of sympathy for the boy. "Tough luck, I guess."

"I wonder why some people get all the hard shit in life," Jerome murmured. "While other people skip off without a care."

"Because life is an unfair playground. If you fall down, you skin your knees. You get hit in the face with a dodge ball, you get bruised. Not everything is hunky-dory in the real world," Caitlyn answered.

"Who's being poetic now?" Jerome said with a small laugh. Caitlyn shrugged with a smile as she drove through Main Street, the rain continuing to pour.

"I wonder if my mum and dad feel bad yet. Especially 'cause it's raining," Jerome said with a dry chuckle.

"Parents can be annoying," Caitlyn allowed.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask: what is that on your shirt?" Jerome said suddenly. Caitlyn looked down quickly, afraid she'd got some huge stain on her shirt, but only saw the regular design.

"Um… what?" she asked, confused.

"The phone box thing. I know it's from something, but I can't remember," Jerome said. It took a second to click and then Caitlyn laughed.

"Oh! That's the TARDIS, it's from Doctor Who," Caitlyn explained. Jerome looked blank, and then he clicked is fingers.

"Oh yeah! The guy who travels through time and stuff!" he said.

"I guess you could say that," Caitlyn said with a laugh. "I'll have to bring you over to my place sometime and make you watch some episodes."

"That sounds like it would be fun," Jerome said, smiling. And then he sighed. "Although I'm probably going to be _so_ grounded when I get home."

"Have you ever been in trouble before?" Caitlyn asked.

"Not really. I got yelled at on the weekend for shouting at my mum but that's basically it," Jerome replied.

"Then you'll get off easily," Caitlyn said, waving her hand.

"My parents ditched me by the side of the road for talking back to them."

"Valid point. You're screwed."

"Thanks. That really makes me feel excited to get home," Jerome said sarcastically. There was silence for a second, and Caitlyn tapped her fingers on the wheel as they pulled up at an intersection.

"You could stay at my place tonight. I live not too far from here. You could just text your parents and say you need to cool off. They should be cool with it," Caitlyn said. "I know my parent's will be, and you can borrow some of my brother's clothes. He's only two years older than me."

"You don't have to-"

"Jerome, it sounds like you're parents are seriously pissed at the moment. They won't mind you taking a night off," Caitlyn said sternly. Jerome sighed and leaned back in his seat.

"Are you sure your parents would be fine with it?" Jerome asked quietly.

"Sure they would be," Caitlyn said. "Hurry up now. Oakside is to the left and my place is to the right." Jerome was silent for a second.

"Well, I might as well. I'm intrigued by this Doctor Who thing now," he said, and Caitlyn flicked her blinkers on with a grin.

* * *

"So it sounds like this camping trip won't be too pleasant," Victoria said dubiously, wrapping her hands around her cup of coffee. Mitch nodded wordlessly, letting the warmth of his own cup leech out into his fingers. He'd explained everything to Tory, from Jerome to the camping trip. The one thing he hadn't let on was the fact even he didn't know how he felt. His face was still slightly red from his random tears, and he kept wiping his eyes.

"Stop, you'll irritate your eyes and get a rash," Tory ordered. Mitch's hand dropped immediately. Everything had just been knocked out of him, and he didn't have the willpower to argue. Now he was just timid and sad.

"I don't know what to do," Mitch said, voice hoarse. "I leave to go on this trip tomorrow." Tory looked thoughtful, tapping a finger against her chin.

"Ask your dad, maybe. Just say that you really don't want to go and he might see sense," Tory suggested.

"If he isn't drunk," Mitch said harshly.

"Mitchell," Tory said sternly.

"It's true," Mitch muttered, sipping from his coffee as Tory sighed.

"Okay, if I'm being dead serious, your dad is probably going to be drunk for the entire trip. So maybe you're just going to have to deal with it," Tory said.

"How does that help me?" Mitch growled. "I _don't_ want to go."

"Maybe you're pushing Jerome away. Maybe this would be better if you stopped. You've got walls around you, Mitch. You need to let someone in and just trust them for once," Tory said softly, reaching out a hand and touching his hand.

"It's hard to trust people," Mitch said. "You're the only one who even listens to me. Dad's drunk, mum left because I wasn't good enough, everyone at school hates me-"

"Okay, stop. One, drinking was your dad's way of dealing with the pain when Willow left. Two, your mum didn't leave because you weren't good enough! I know why she left and that is not the reason," Tory said.

"Then why did she leave?" Mitch said, sounding desperate. "Just tell me why. Don't I deserve to know?" Tory looked doubtful.

"Mitch, I don't think you'd be able to deal with it at this moment. Especially because you're so emotional right now," Tory said softly.

"Tory, just tell me," Mitch pleaded. Tory sighed, and put both her hands on the table and entwined them with Mitch's.

"Have you ever heard about Postnatal Depression?" Tory asked. Mitch shook his head, and Tory looked away for a moment before looking back at Mitch. "Postnatal Depression is what a mother sometimes gets after childbirth. It's usually caused by fatigue, the feeling of "Holy shit I'm a mother" and hormonal adjustment. It's really confusing. But anyway, after you were born… Willow got Postnatal Depression really bad. She looked at you and she felt this overwhelming love but also fear she couldn't be a good mother. At the time, I kid you not; your dad was really ready to be a dad. He… he put together a beautiful nursery, he read up on all the books, and he was prepared for anything. Except what Willow went through. Eventually, it wore off. Willow was a good mother, and so was your dad. But when you were seven… Everything came back because… because… she fell pregnant again." Tory waited, letting this sink in for a moment.

"I have a brother or sister?" Mitch whispered. Tory smiled sadly.

"Yeah, Mitch. But that was why she ran. Her Postnatal Depression came back in full force and she was terrified of having another child, so she ran away. And… she left me her new address. So if you want to find her, you can," Tory said, voice basically a whisper by the end.

"She was always so in reach and you kept her away from me," Mitch said, voice wobbling. He stood up abruptly, pulling his hands away from Tory.

"Mitch, no," Tory said, standing up. "That's not what I did."

"You could've told me. I could've found her," Mitch snapped, his voice rising. "I could've actually had a _good fricking life_."

"You're looking at this wrong. I didn't tell you because-"

"Why!? What is the amazing reason? Nothing else can shatter me any further; I'm already in a million pieces!" Mitch yelled.

"I didn't tell you because I knew you would take it like this," Tory said. "I was trying to protect you."

"Well great job, Victoria," Mitch said sarcastically, stepping out of the booth and walking along the aisle.

"Mitchell!" Tory said, stepping out. "Don't you dare-"

"You're not my mother, and you never will be!" Mitch screamed. Tory stopped and paled, a hand going up to her chest like she'd been punched. With that, Mitch stormed out of the café and down the street, the rain pounding down and plastering his hair to his face. But Mitch didn't care. He'd had enough with life.

"Why does my life suck?" Mitch asked the sky as he stopped and looked up. All he could feel was this burning rage building in his chest and behind his eyes. "It's not fair!" Mitch roared, spinning around and violently punching the wall. Dimly, Mitch remembered this is where he'd rescued Jerome from Mat. Screaming, Mitch punched the wall again, pain cracking through his hand. Mitch punched the wall until his hands were covered in red. Mitch put his forehead against the wall, letting the water rush down his face, mingling with the tears beginning to fall. Mitch turned around and leaned against the wall, his knees going weak. Mitch slid down the wall and put his head on his knees, sobbing in hatred for everything in his life as his hands throbbed and he gave up hope.

* * *

**So Mitch... do you feel for him? DO YOU FEEL FOR HIM? Things might be looking up for Jerome but at the same time things are going downhill for Mitch. And tomorrow is the day they leave for the camping trip! How will Jerome's parents react to Jerome staying at Caitlyn's? Will Mitch rekindle whatever he had between Tory, and will he try and find his mother? And more importantly... where the hell is Mat? **

**I, personally, can't wait for the camping trip...**

**:D**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello Nerdians! I am sorry for not updating, but first may I say I have valid excuses! This is my last weekend of holidays, so I've been doing things, and yesterday was ANZAC Day and I went to a Dawn Service and then to a bunch of other stuff. I woke up at 3:45 AM and went to sleep at 12. I was awake for more than twenty hours. **

**Thank you so much for all of your positive feedback and praise, as well! It makes me so happy to see you guys enjoying Collision Course, and I love that you love it! I can't express how grateful I am. **

**Anyway, here we go with a new chapter!**

* * *

**CHAPTER NINE**

"Thanks for letting me stay over," Jerome said to Caitlyn as they walked into her house.

"No problem," Caitlyn replied with a smile as she tossed her school bag down by the door and kicked off her shoes. "I'll grab you some clothes from my brother's room and if you want you can shower."

"Uh… thanks," Jerome stuttered. "I think I'll message my parents first and tell them I'm not coming home tonight."

"Alright. Tell me when you're ready; I'll be in the kitchen," she said over her shoulder as she walked down the hallway. Jerome watched her disappear through a door and pulled his phone out of the pocket of his jeans. He was still pretty soaked, so he stepped outside for a moment to avoid making a puddle on the tiles inside. He thumbed open messages and fired off a quick one giving as little detail as possible.

**Jerome – staying at a friend's house tonight to cool off. I'll be fine. **

After the message was sent, Jerome walked inside again and took off his shoes and left them beside Caitlyn's. Walking down the hall, Jerome poked his head through the door to the kitchen.

"I'm ready if you're not busy," Jerome said. Caitlyn looked up and nodded.

"Sure. I was just making an afternoon snack," she said with a smile. "Follow me." Caitlyn walked back into the hall and into a small bedroom with walls covered in posters for bands Jerome didn't know.

"This is my brother's room. His name is Lucas, and he's probably out getting high," Caitlyn said with a laugh. Jerome paled and she rolled her eyes. "I'm joking."

"Oh. Sure," Jerome said, and Caitlyn opened a drawer, grabbing a shirt with the Nike symbol on it and a pair of shorts. Caitlyn turned and tossed them to Jerome. Jerome caught them and nearly dropped the shirt, making Caitlyn giggle.

"Bathroom is a door down from here. The lock is busted but I'm not a peeper… most of the time," Caitlyn said with a wink. Jerome's face flushed red and Caitlyn laughed, patting his shoulder as she walked past. "You have to learn how to take a joke, or you're not going to survive the night with me."

"I'm terrified now," Jerome said, smiling halfway. Caitlyn smiled as she left the room. Jerome took another look around the room and then walked out down to the bathroom. He showered quickly and got changed into his borrowed clothes. Jerome stuffed his other clothes into his school bag and then remembered his phone was in his pocket. Pulling it out, he saw his parents had replied. Frowning, Jerome stuffed his phone into the pocket in the shorts.

"Jerome! Hurry up! I got the first Doctor Who on, and I expect you to watch!" Caitlyn yelled. Jerome followed her voice to the living room and saw she had drawn all the curtains and was sitting on the couch with plate of cheese and crackers. She patted the seat and crossed her legs up on the couch, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees. Jerome walked over and sat beside her, trying to be as not-awkward as possible. Caitlyn clicked a button and the show started. Jerome was nervous but didn't dare say it – this was his first time alone with a girl he wasn't related to. And he hoped it would be enjoyable in the most PG way possible.

* * *

Mitch walked home in the rain, fists bleeding and throbbing painfully. The water running down his hands helped washing off the blood. His shirt was basically see-through by now, his jeans had darkened a few shades from the water and his shoes made an annoying squelching sound as they left the pavement. The rain didn't relent as Mitch walked onto his road, head bowed. Mitch was walking up to his house when hands grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. Mitch was prepared to swing his battered fists in case he was being jumped but instead came face to face with Cynthia, Jerome's mum. Her blonde hair was plastered to her face and straightened from the water, and her eyes looked panicked and wild.

"Have you seen Jerome?" she shouted over a crack of thunder.

"No," Mitch shouted back. Amazingly, the rain started to pelt down harder.

"We made him walk home because of his behaviour and he hasn't come back!" Cynthia wailed. Mitch scowled. _Why is this my problem? Scrawny isn't suddenly my responsibility. Your fault for making him walk home. He probably got ripped to pieces by a… bear or something. That would suck. For him, not me._

"What do you want me to do?" Mitch found himself asking, against his will. _God damn it. Stupid brain. Making me be all nice and shit._

"Do you have a car?" she asked. Mitch nodded wordlessly. "Can you please drive through town and look for him?" Mitch nodded and then suddenly Jackson came rushing out of the house.

"Cynthia! He's alright!" Jackson cried, relief in his voice. Mitch raised an eyebrow. _Wow. They're over-protective but apparently they ditched him by the side of the road. Is this some new form of reverse phycology?_

"Thank heavens!" Cynthia said, a large sigh of relief escaping. She held Mitch's shoulders and smiled gratefully. "Thank you for offering to help. It's so comforting to know we can count on you." Cynthia then walked away up to her husband and they embraced gently, squeezing each other tight. Jackson nodded in approval to Mitch and Mitch smirked, waving. The couple then walked inside their house and Mitch sat down on the step outside his house, looking up and closing his eyes. The rain beat at his face, a steady rhythm that calmed Mitch down further. _So. My life sucks but they might actually like me. That makes me feel… nice._

* * *

Caitlyn looked at the clock on her phone and cursed slightly.

"It's midnight," she whispered to Jerome. Jerome looked at her, his eyes wide.

"But the show is so _good_," He whispered back. Caitlyn smiled.

"Have I got you hooked?"

"Most definitely," Jerome said. Caitlyn giggled into her palm and looked at the coffee table, which was covered with an empty packet of Doritos, two bowls of chocolate ice-cream – practically wiped clean – two empty bottles of coke, one which had fallen over, and the box set of Doctor Who Caitlyn had gotten for her birthday. Both of them were bouncing from the coke and chocolate overload, and at one point Jerome had fallen off the couch. Caitlyn's mum was out still at some Tupperware party – Caitlyn was glad Jerome had been a valid excuse to get out of it – and Caitlyn's dad was on errands in the next town over. And god only knew where Lucas was.

"Oh my god, this reminds me of when I met Sydney!" Caitlyn gasped suddenly. Jerome looked at her and she cleared her throat.

"Okay, so we were in year three and we had this sort of careers day, and I went to school with a bowtie and a coat and I tried to speak in a British accent – which was crap, by the way. I can't act. Basically, the teacher asked me who I was dressed as, and I said "The Doctor" and she was all like, "well then shouldn't you have brought a clipboard and a stethoscope?" and then this red head walks up and says, "No Miss, she's _The_ Doctor" and then Miss frowned and said "Who?" and then me and the red head both said "Exactly!" at the same time, and from there we got a detention from Miss for speaking back and me and Sydney the red head have been best buds since," Caitlyn said, laughing as she recalled the fond memories of primary school. Jerome smiled and played with the end of his shirt.

"That sounds like it would've been fun," he said wistfully. "I hadn't realised you'd known Sydney for so long."

"It _has_ been a long time, and I don't plan on stopping. We've got a good thing going," Caitlyn replied. Jerome smiled, and then yawned.

"I think I'm going to crash," Jerome said tiredly. "I never stay up so late. My parents would kill me."

"Your parents aren't here though, are they?" Caitlyn said with a small smile. Jerome's pocket suddenly buzzed madly and Jerome pulled out his phone, smile dropping.

"Well crap," he sighed, pushing a hand through his hair and scrolling through something on his phone. "Five missed calls and a bunch of messages."

"From who? Lemme see!" Caitlyn said, grabbing the phone from him. She looked at it and raised an eyebrow in surprise.

**Mum – Jerome, don't you dare do that ever again! We were so worried!**

**Mum – why didn't you ask before you went over? Pick up your phone!**

**Mum – JEROME ROBERT ACETI PICK UP YOUR PHONE NOW AND STOP IGNORING ME**

Caitlyn looked up at Jerome.

"Your middle name is Robert?"

"That isn't important."

**Mum – Jerome, I'm worried about you! PICK UP YOUR PHONE!**

**Dad – Jerome, pick up. Your mother is freaking out. **

**Dad – If you just pick up we can lessen your punishment.**

**Dad – Pick up now.**

**Mum – JEROME**

**Dad – Jerome, I know you've always been a good kid. I'm going to let you have your teenager moment now, but I hope it doesn't happen again.**

"Wow, dude. You must not have heard it over the show," Caitlyn said sheepishly. "I am so sorry."

"It's not your fault," Jerome said gently as he pried the phone from her hands. "Besides, it looks like they've forgiven me."

"I'm going to feel so bad if you get in major trouble," Caitlyn groaned, leaning back._ I feel so bad. I was just trying to help him out._

"I messaged them back. They'll probably pick up. When mum's worried, she'll sit by the phone and wait for ages until she gets a reply. She did it when her brother needed a biopsy for what they thought was skin cancer," Jerome said.

"Was he alright?" Caitlyn asked. Jerome nodded.

"He was fine. More importantly, I think we should stop now. I feel like I'm going to just fall over and shut down any second now," Jerome said with a laugh.

"I usually stay up late," Caitlyn confessed. "I lie in my bed a lot and think about life with my earphones in."

"You've been very poetic today. Or Yesterday. Whatever," Jerome said, yawning again. "Good night, I guess. I'll leave early in the morning 'cause I'm going on a camping trip. Don't freak out."

"Why would I freak out?" Caitlyn asked innocently. Jerome rolled his eyes.

"I just though general decency would make you be worried a little bit for my wellbeing if I disappear in the morning without a trace," Jerome said, deadpan.

"Without a trace? I'll see you on Monday. You're not Jason Bourne."

"I can disappear if I want to. Not many people see me anyway," Jerome said with a sad smile. Caitlyn sighed and then forced a smile.

"I don't think that's true, Jerome. Besides, I won't let you disappear. You're my friend."

* * *

Jerome yawned widely and stretched out, breath leaving cold puffs in the air. Grace was already bundled into the car, wrapped in a puffy coat and sleeping. She didn't like being up at four am. Jerome rubbed his eyes and sighed as he shoved another rolled up chair into the back of the car. He'd gotten three hours of sleep, because at three he'd woken up to walk home so he'd have time. He planned on waiting until they were on their way and sleeping. Sasha was having a tantrum next door, screaming she didn't want to go out in the cold. Jerome blew into his hands and hunched his shoulders over.

"It's freezing," Jackson said as he came out with another chair. He slid it in smoothly and took a step back, smiling. "There. And my mother thought Tetris wouldn't teach me anything."

"Grandma's a bit crazy though," Jerome pointed out. Jackson shrugged, and then turned and looked at Jerome seriously. "I am sorry about yesterday. But you can't just run off with your friends like that."

"This time last year, you would've been glad I actually _had_ a friend to run to," Jerome said. Jackson sighed.

"I don't want to fight. I'm going to put this behind us, alright? You've always been mature, responsible and well-behaved. You always do as we say; you sacrifice your own time to watch Grace and you've never been in trouble. We just over-reacted because you never did anything wrong. And your mother was terrified that you'd been abducted…." Jackson trailed off, and Jerome bit his lip.

'Truce?" Jerome asked hesitantly, sticking his hand out. Jackson smiled and shook his hand.

"Truce. Now, we're all packed up. You can get in the car and catch up on your sleep. I can see you didn't get much," Jackson said with a wink. Jerome nodded and turned, walking around and opening the door to the car. Grace's head was up against the window, her eyes closed and her mouth slightly agape. She'd only got out of her baby seat a few months ago and said she felt like a big girl now. Jerome slid into the car and closed the door, shutting him in. Jerome let out a long breath, his warm breath fogging up the window. Soon, Jackson and Cynthia were in the car and they were starting up and on the move. The Aceti car at the front, the Hughes car in the middle – because they didn't know where the campsite was – and the McDonald's car at the back. Jerome blinked a few times, the cold window pressing against his cheek. It was soothing and numbing, and soon Jerome felt himself falling asleep.

* * *

Mitch didn't look at Paul, instead gazing out the window of his dad's Ute. The tray on the back of the Ute was filled with camping gear, and his dad hadn't gone drinking yesterday. He was sober so he could drive. At around seven am, Mitch's phone buzzed. Mitch pulled it out of the bag at his feet and looked at his the screen. There was a chip in the screen in the top right corner, which irritated Mitch to no end. He'd saved up all his money to buy the phone and Mat had dropped it like an idiot.

**Mat – Where are you?**

**Mitch – I'd ask the same thing. You weren't at school for two days. And I'm on a camping trip.**

**Mat – Boo, that's boring shit. BTW I was away because Lola relapsed and I was at the Hospital with her.**

Mitch felt a pang of sympathy. Mat's little sister Lola was twelve and had been diagnosed with Leukaemia when she was four. The type she had came with a high cure rate but with a bonus of a hell of a lot of chemotherapy, which Lola had bad reactions to. It was no good and Mat didn't get to see his parents much, because they were almost always at the Hospital with her - one of the reasons Mat had turned to doing all kinds of fancy drugs. He wanted attention, and had nearly got it this year. Lola had been in remission for six months and his dad had been close to finding out. Now Lola was in Hospital again and Mat would have to start from scratch.

**Mitch – That sucks. Tell Lola I hope she'll feel better soon. **

**Mat – Did you hear that Jerome Aceti and Zak Thornbury got suspended for fighting?**

**Mitch – No, didn't hear that. I ditched yesterday after first. Interesting. I'm on the camping trip with Jerome now, I'll ask him about it when we arrive.**

**Mat – You do that and tell me what happens straight away.**

**Mitch – I'm not your slave. I'll tell you on Monday.**

**Mat – Fine. Oh, and I bought more of the stuff. New kind too. Wanna test on Monday? I have a test in third anyway. **

Mitch bit his lip. _I don't wanna do the drugs anymore. It's stupid. I'm not starved for attention. Besides, what would Jerome think? _Mitch paused for a moment, eyes widening. _Why do I care what Jerome would think?! I'm doing this for myself and no one else! What the _hell_ brain? Are you doing the drugs now?_

**Mitch – I'm not doing that anymore.**

**Mat – WAT?**

**Mitch – I said I'm not going to do the stuff anymore.**

**Mat – you're insane. Don't you like the feeling?**

**Mitch – No, I don't. It makes me feel sick.**

**Mat – Pussy.**

Mitch didn't bother to reply, jamming his phone back in his bag. He instead leaned over and turned on the radio, tapping his fingers on his knee to the beat of the obscure rock song screaming about how love hurt more than hate.

* * *

**Okay! So Mat is still alive! Yay! And they're on their way to the camping trip! Yay! And Caitlyn and Jerome are bonding! Yay! SO MUCH YAY!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello Nerdians! Not much to say except: THIS IS MY LAST DAY OF HOLIDAYS! WHYYY! ****So yeah. **

**Also: I'm having difficulties deciding wether or not to ship Eddie (Sly) or James (Nova) with Aleks (Immortal). *_First world problems intensify_* Tell me if I should ship ImmortalFox or NovaHD! Or should I just ship UberFoxHD? **

**Also, there is a lovely poll on my page asking for your opinion regarding my story. Go do it please!**

**And by the way... HAPPY CHAPTER TEN!**

* * *

**CHAPTER TEN**

"Jerome, Grace, we're here. Wake up," Cynthia said, reaching back and shaking Jerome's knee. Jerome woke with a jolt, head snapping up.

"What?" he muttered.

"You slept for four hours," Cynthia said with a smile. "The whole trip." Jerome yawned and rubbed his face.

"I needed it," he replied.

"Everyone out!" Jackson ordered. Cynthia climbed out of the car and went to the back door, opening it. She reached in and shook Grace gently.

"Wake up, honey," Cynthia said soothingly. Grace opened her eyes and blinked a few times, yawning widely. Cynthia unbuckled Grace and lifted her out, cradling her to her chest. Jerome undid his seat belt and climbed out of the car, straightening his shirt. It was a plain blue thing, the first shirt he'd grabbed when he'd got home. Grace slid out of Cynthia's arms and ran over to Sasha. Cynthia walked over to watch them and Jackson came around the back of the car to unpack.

"Jerome, give me a hand?" Jackson asked as he started to drag the folded chairs out. Jerome nodded and grabbed one of the bags. They brought one bag filled with enough clothes for the weekend for the whole family, and a separate section with some toiletries. The Aceti family had been going on these trips for the past eight years with the McDonalds – they learnt quickly not to over pack. Jerome dumped it by the car and started to pull out the tent. Jackson shifted some things out of the way and then helped Jerome haul out the tent. Jerome nearly dropped his end but he kicked is foot up underneath it to hold it up as he shifted his hands to hold the weight. The two walked over to the small clearing and set the tent down gently. Cameron and Madeline walked over with their tent and then Paul, the tent tucked under his arm. Mitch and Paul only brought a small tent. Speaking of Mitch…

"I heard you got suspended," Mitch said bluntly. Jerome was surprised Mitch was the one who started to conversation. He _was_ the one who'd said Jerome was just getting in his way.

"Yeah," Jerome answered cautiously. Mitch stopped for a moment, thinking as he put down his backpack.

"Good job," Mitch said, before walking away and leaving Jerome to stand there.

* * *

Mitch didn't know why he'd tried to talk to Jerome. It was a mistake. _I just made it even more awkward. _Mitch rubbed his head, growling. _All of this is giving me a headache. Why do I care if things are awkward between us? There isn't even an 'us'! God dammit…_

"We're finished," Paul said, wiping his brow. The heat had intensified violently after the freezing morning, and Mitch had already shed his black and red jacket. His black shirt was a mistake – according to science class black attracted heat. Mitch walked towards the middle of the small camp, where everyone was trying to set up their tents. Grace and Sasha were begging Cynthia to let them go swim in the lake. A lot of little things. Mitch was attempting to prop up the tent now with Paul practically trapped inside trying to work out how out the tent would stay up.

"Need a hand?" Jackson asked, humour in his voice. Mitch was tempted to drop the tent on his Paul's head but instead looked at Jackson, forcing a smile.

"Yeah. We haven't gone camping in a long time," Mitch answered. Jackson nodded in understanding and took it out of Mitch's hands. He had it up in a minute and Paul crawled out, relieved

"I didn't know you were in there," Jackson said with a laugh. Paul pushed back some of his hair from his forehead and smiled as he straightened.

"It's fine," he said, and Jackson gestured behind him. "The girls are begging to go swimming… would you two like to come out now?" Jackson asked. Paul looked at Mitch, slightly panicky, but Mitch didn't look back.

"Sure, sounds fun," Mitch said.

"All right. Get changed then, we're leaving in five," Jackson ordered. Jackson walked away to his family and Mitch looked at the floor.

"You don't have to," Paul said.

"I don't hide from things," Mitch muttered, grabbing his backpack and disappearing into the tent to get changed.

* * *

Jerome came out of the tent with Grace and looked around the small camp. Grace played with the lacy frills around her hips and then squealed.

"Sasha has the same swimmers!" she shouted, running over to Sasha. Sasha wore a purple version to the pink of Grace's swimming costume, and the two girls were screaming about it.

"Let's go!" Cameron called. Then he frowned.

"Paul, where's Mitch?" Cameron asked. Paul fiddled with his hands and smiled awkwardly.

"Uh, he said he'd catch up," Paul said. Cameron raised an eyebrow but didn't question it. Cameron ushered the girls ahead and they started down the well-worn path. Jerome followed behind his parents, wondering why Mitch was taking so long. _Maybe he can't swim or something. _Then Jerome heard footsteps behind him and turned around. Mitch was walking quickly to catch up, but it wasn't that that made Jerome's jaw drop. It was the large, shiny scar on Mitch's right, stretching up to his bottom rib and disappearing down past the hem of swimming trunks. Mitch scowled and crossed his arms over his stomach.

"What?" he snapped. Jerome shook his head and blinked, having to remember to close his mouth.

"What did that?" Jerome asked.

"None of your business," Mitch growled, narrowing his eyes. Jerome turned around and kept walking, moving a bit faster. _Wow. That looked horrible… and painful. Was he attacked by a dog or something? Geez._

"Jerome!" Jackson yelled. Jerome looked up from the path and saw his dad standing at the end of the path, beckoning for him. Jerome ran up to him and looked over the crest of the hill. Sasha and Grace were sprinting way too fast down the hill, screaming joyfully. The lake spread out ahead, miles of glittering, beautiful water. They always swam in it when they came and on the third trip Cameron had set up a rope on a tree so they could swing into the water like Tarzan. Jerome had been so excited at the time. Sasha on whatever race they'd been having and splashed in the shallows with excitement, tackling Grace into the water when she made it. Jackson was laughing at something Cameron had said as he searched for the rope and Cynthia sat by the shore with Madeline to talk, keeping a careful watch on the younger children. Jerome looked over his shoulder at Mitch, who was still covering his stomach. Jerome was surprised. _I didn't think of Mitch as being the sort of person to be self-conscious. _Jerome followed his dad to the rope and watched as he ran quickly with it in his hands before leaping off the small dirt mound. He hollered loudly and then released the rope, flying off into the water. The rope swung back, bouncing from suddenly going slack. Cameron looked at Jerome and took a step back, hand out towards the rope.

"You go first," he said with a smile. Jerome thanked him and grabbed the rope. He took a few steps back before running as fast as he could. He leaped and the rope jerked roughly in his hands. Jerome loved the sensation of flying, and when he let go of the rope he closed his eyes for a moment. _Flying away from my stupid life. _Then a hard impact and slash that brought Jerome back down to earth. Jerome kicked his legs and surfaced, blinking water out his eyes. He swam quickly to avoid having Cameron land on him and just floated, treading water lightly. Jerome watched as Cameron landed with a splash, the rope swinging back to Mitch, who reached out to grab it. Cameron waded over to Jackson and they started talking about something related to cars, which Jerome didn't have much interest in. Jerome sighed and ducked his head under the water, letting it slow currents caress his face gently. _I'm not having as much fun as I usually do on these trips. Why? Is it because Mitch and Paul are here? What's changed? _Jerome felt a sudden need for air and pulled his head up, water running down his face in rivulets. There was sudden splash from close by and Jerome kicked backwards, surprised. The water rippled and then Mitch burst up. He flicked his hair out of his eyes and looked at Jerome, visible disappointment.

"Damn, I was hoping I'd land on you," he said.

"So you could crush me under your fat ass?" Jerome retorted. Mitch smirked, and held a hand over his heart.

"Shots fired," he replied. Jerome raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, tell me what happened to you. What gave you that scar?" Jerome asked quickly. Mitch's smirk dropped and he glared at Jerome.

"I don't need to tell you," Mitch said. Jerome swam closer and Mitch swam backwards, scowling.

"Yes, you do," Jerome insisted.

"No, I don't," Mitch hissed, swimming further back as Jerome kept swimming towards him. "What the hell are you doing? Back off!"

"I'm trying to intimidate you into telling me," Jerome replied, eyes not leaving Mitch. Mitch barked a sudden, sharp laugh.

"That's not going to work," he said. Jerome kept swimming closer. "Back the hell off!" Mitch snapped. He kicked out one leg and it collided with Jerome's chest, thrusting him backwards. Jerome rubbed his chest, frowning.

"Ow," he said. Then he smiled slowly and kept swimming closer.

"Next time I'll kick you I swear I'll kick your balls," Mitch warned. Jerome's smile widened and Mitch's scowl deepened.

"Dude, stop it," Mitch said.

"Not until you tell me!" Jerome said in a sing-song tune.

"I'm not going to tell you! Back off!"

"You're going to tell me…"

"No, I'm not – Don't you dare start singing the Jaws song! Oh my god, you're such an idiot!" Mitch yelled. Jerome laughed.

"Tell me!" Jerome yelled.

"Fine! If I tell you, you have to leave me alone, okay?" Mitch growled. Jerome stopped immediately and blinked.

"Okay," Jerome agreed. Mitch took a small breath and under the water, Jerome could see his hand gingerly touch the scar.

"When I was eight, I woke up with this horrible pain in my side and I was crying and screaming and it was really… it really hurt," Mitch said softly. "So, I went to my dad's room and he wasn't there, so I started to go downstairs but I fell. I had to literally crawl and drag myself to the kitchen to find him, but he was drunk off his mind. I was screaming for him to wake up and all he did was stare at his bottle. It was like I didn't exist." Mitch looked down at the water for a moment before looking back up, face emotionless.

"I could feel this throbbing pain in my side, so… so I grabbed a kitchen knife and tried to cut out whatever was hurting so much," Mitch said, voice barely a whispered. Jerome was shocked. He could see the pain and regret swirling in his eyes, and it was like Mitch was experiencing that same pain now.

"I kept screaming and my neighbour Mrs Matthews heard me and took me to the Hospital. Turns out I have appendicitis, and by trying to cut it out I'd burst it early. I nearly died and all that time my dad did nothing," Mitch said harshly. _Holy shit. That's horrible. I can't believe he had the guts to try and cut out his own appendix._

"Why didn't the doctors fix up the wound? They could've had it leave no scar," Jerome said softly.

"I was a smart kid," Mitch muttered bitterly. "I asked them to leave it so it would scar so badly. So it would remind my dad that he was a shit father and once again he'd done nothing."

"Mitch, I…" Jerome trailed off.

"Don't tell me you're sorry," Mitch snapped. "No one is."

"I wasn't going to say sorry. I was going to say that… that you're pretty damn amazing for doing that all by yourself," Jerome said quietly. Mitch looked slightly shocked, and he sighed, rubbing his face.

"Thanks," he muttered, before swimming away.

* * *

"Mitch, pass the sauce!" Madeline said. Mitch reached down and picked up the barbeque sauce, passing it to Cameron. Cameron then passed it Madeline and Madeline nodded in thanks, putting a large amount of sauce on her tofu burger which glinted in the firelight.

"How's everyone's food?" Cynthia asked. There were many murmurs of approval as everyone dug in to the excellently cooked hamburgers.

"Who would've guessed that small little barbeque could make such excellent food?" Jackson said. "Well worth the buy."

"Oh, it was the barbeque," Madeline said, waving her hand. "We all know Cynthia was born to cook!" Cynthia smiled sheepishly.

"Yes, Cynthia. Why are you still working with the company? You could make millions working in a café or restaurant with your skills," Cameron said.

"Oh, I only cook for my family. And working at Jackson's company is earning us extra money to spend and we've nearly paid off the house. And worked as a secretary is right up my alley," Cynthia said confidently. _This is so boring… but the burgers are good. _

"The Law Firm is doing well, then?" Paul asked.

"It's doing excellent. We just hired three more lawyers to work under us," Jackson said, happiness in his voice. There was a round of congratulations, and then the conversation took a turn.

"So, Jerome. I heard you've been suspended," Madeline said, disapproval in her voice.

"Oh, we've let it slide. It's his first time in serious trouble, the kid's never even had a detention," Jackson said quickly, ruffling Jerome's hair. Jerome rolled his eyes but smiled. "He's always been good, and we've never had a problem with him." Then everyone looked at _Mitch_, and he nearly froze. It took all of his strength to take another bite of food under the stares.

"Have you ever been in trouble, Mitch?" Cynthia asked.

"I don't think-" Paul started, but Mitch looked at him. Paul stopped and closed his mouth.

"I've actually been suspended a lot of times, and I've lost track of all the detentions I've had," Mitch said calmly. Shock registered on all the adult's faces, except Paul. His face flushed with embarrassment, causing a spark of annoyance in Mitch. _Oh, so now you think you'll like a bad parent? Should've thought about that about, oh, ten years ago! And why are they all so surprised? Didn't Jerome – Oh. Jerome didn't tell them. _

"Why so?" Jackson managed.

"He has a learning difficulty!" Jerome said, practically yelping. Mitch looked at Jerome in surprise, and all the stares swivelled to Jerome. Jerome gulped.

"Uh… he can't pay attention with so many people making noise. So scores bad in tests, and then he gets in trouble," Jerome said quickly. "But he's really great at language. He's pretty fluent in French. He scores the highest in the class." The adults then seemed like they forgave Mitch. _God forbid I'm not perfect enough to fit in with all you rich idiots. _

"Where did you learn to speak French?" Cameron asked.

"Oh. I was born in Barbados but I moved to Canada with my family after I was born. They teach French as a regular class there," Mitch explained. Madeline clasped her hands together, tofu burger long forgotten on her lap. The plate shifted every time she moved and came close to toppling as she moved in her seat to look at Mitch better.

"I've always wanted to go to Canada! All the snow and culture," she gushed. "Where did you live? I mean, what city?"

"Uh… Montreal?" Mitch said, uncertain. _Why are you suddenly so interested in me? And more importantly: why did Jerome defend me? So many questions, and I left my detective hat at home._

"Oh! Is it as gorgeous as everyone says?"

"I guess so…"

"I want to go so badly! Cameron, can we go to Montreal for our anniversary?" The conversation continued on normally from there, and no one looked at Mitch for the rest of the talk. When the fire began to die down and Sasha and Grace started to yawn, everyone was sent to bed. But Mitch laid there silently, staring at the top of tent. Too many thoughts flooded his mind and it wasn't until at least two am he fell asleep, his last thoughts going to Jerome.

* * *

**So... who thinks the Big Kiss will happen soon? Tell me what you think a review, lovely people! AND DON'T FORGET TO THE POLL!**

**And thank you for _1317 views_! That is so amazing!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Here is the long-awaited chapter! I kept writing, just for you guys :)**

* * *

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

"Wake up," Paul muttered gruffly, shaking Mitch's shoulder. Mitch grunted and rolled on his side. "Mitch. Wake up. You'll miss out on breakfast." Mitch sat up almost immediately.

"Food," he mumbled, rubbing is eyes. Paul rolled his eyes as Mitch looked at him blearily. "What time is it?" Paul looked at his watch and sighed.

"Four am," Paul said. That made Mitch wake up.

"What?" he snapped. "Four am? That's insane!"

"Yeah, yeah it is. But Cameron and Jackson are going fishing and they invited me along. Thought I'd wake you up," Paul said.

"I just wanted to sleep in," Mitch moaned.

"So did I," Paul muttered, before standing up and walking out of the tent. The opening of the flap let in a blast of cold air, and Mitch shivered. _I could just get back in my sleeping bag… nah. I'm awake now. God damn, I wanted to sleep! _Mitch grabbed the black shirt he'd worn yesterday – because why not – and pulled it on over his head. He stood up, head hunched over, and grabbed his jeans and shimmied into them as fast as he could. His dad _had _mentioned food. When he was finished getting dressed, Mitch walked out into the camp, his socks already wet from the dew on the grass. He scowled. _Of all the things to forget, I forget to put my shoes on. _

"Good morning," Cynthia called with a smile. Mitch managed a smile back and then looked at the fire.

"Wow. You're roasting sausages for breakfast?" Mitch said in surprise. Cynthia laughed.

"Yep. Hey, I sent Jerome to our car to pull down the table we've got. Can you go see if he needs a hand?" Cynthia asked. Mitch shrugged.

"Sure," he said, acting like it was no problem when actually, it was a _huge _problem. Mitch walked slowly over to the Aceti's car and saw Jerome struggling to pull out a folding table. Mitch stopped and watched him a moment.

"Need any help?" Mitch asked finally. Jerome looked over his shoulder and frowned.

"No," he said. Mitch rolled his eyes and walked over. Mitch pushed him aside none too gently and grabbed the end of the table, yanking it out quickly and freeing it in a moment. Jerome scowled as Mitch hefted it up by one end.

"Grab the other end," Mitch ordered. Jerome sighed and picked up the opposite end. Mitch started to walk backwards, and Jerome shook his head.

"You'll trip," Jerome insisted. "Hold it behind you."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Shut up and turn around," Jerome said bluntly. Mitch glared at him as he shifted around, starting to walk again with his hands behind him holding the table. Jerome was silent so Mitch didn't talk either. They made it back to the camp and set it up together, only trading instructions when needed. To be truthful, it was driving Mitch insane. _Just talk. Start a conversation. This is so boring. If you don't talk, I will._

"Uh, did I thank you for last night?" Mitch said.

"What did I do?" Jerome asked, sounding honestly puzzled.

"You told the parents that I had a 'learning difficulty'," Mitch said with a chuckle. "Thanks."

"You're… thanking me? I thought we were back at the point where you hated me," Jerome said. Mitch shrugged. "What does a shrug mean?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Mitch grumbled.

"Well, you'd think you would understand what you're doing," Jerome said, trying to keep his voice calm. It was obvious he was struggling.

"Maybe I don't," Mitch growled. Jerome sighed.

"I don't want to fight," he said tiredly. "I'm sick of it." _I am too. _

"Boys!" Cynthia called. "Help me serve up, will you?" Mitch walked over to Cynthia, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Jerome grabbed the packet of paper plates and handing a few to Cynthia.

"It'll only be us and the girls eating breakfast today. Madeline went with the boys to take photos," Cynthia explained. "Oh Jerome, go wake up the girls will you?"

"Alright," Jerome muttered, walking over to the tents. Cynthia dropped a sausage onto a plate and passed it to Mitch. He thanked her and took it gratefully. _Hot food on a cold morning. When was the last time I went camping?_

"So, Mitch. I was thinking we'd walk up to this small ridge I know of to watch the sunrise. Would you like that?" Cynthia asked. Mitch smiled at her as he grabbed a plastic fork and pulled a chair to the table.

"That sounds like it would be fun," Mitch replied. Jerome walked back with two little girls in pyjamas, rubbing their eyes and complaining that it was still dark.

"Jerome, we're going up to the ridge after breakfast," Cynthia said. Jerome seemed to brighten at that.

"Awesome!" he said happily, grabbing his plate and sitting at the opposite end of the table from Mitch. Mitch didn't look up from his food, even when Grace _and _Sasha sat on both sides of him to touch his hair.

"It's _so_ spikey!"

* * *

"Sasha, be careful!" Cynthia called. Jerome winced as Sasha jumped another hole. "You'll roll your ankles! Be careful! Honey, don't copy her!"

"But mum, it's fun!"

"Grace! You will do as I say!"

"You're not fair!" Jerome sighed as Grace screamed.

"How do you live with that?" Mitch muttered. Jerome jumped.

"When did you get beside me?" Jerome asked. Mitch raised an eyebrow.

"I've been walking beside you since we started walking," Mitch said.

"Oh…" Jerome trailed off. "I didn't notice."

"Yeah, a lot of people don't," Mitch said bitterly.

"Because it's all about you," Jerome mumbled.

"Excuse me?" Mitch growled.

"I said, 'because it's all about you'," Jerome said. Mitch looked surprised. _Yeah, that's right. I can reply. You don't scare me anymore. _

"Oh, okay," Mitch said. "Now you want to fight."

"You started it!" Jerome hissed.

"You're acting like a child," Mitch said glumly. _Now he just sounds sad. He can never make up his mind, can he?_

"At least I can admit that I act childish sometimes!" Jerome said in annoyance.

"Boys, hurry up! We're here!" Cynthia yelled over her shoulder. Jerome walked faster to reach Cynthia, jamming his hands in his pockets and ducking is head to fit under a tree branch. Jerome sighed as he took in the breathtaking view. Before them was a massive, sprawling valley filled with trees. Mitch came up behind Jerome and shoved him wordlessly with his shoulder to get past. Jerome glared at the back of Mitch's head and rubbed his shoulder.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Cynthia said, sighing happily.

"Yeah," Mitch answered.

"Grace, Sasha! Stay away from the edge!" Cynthia snapped. The girls muttered but sat on the rocks by the edge of the ledge, staring out into the valley and kicking their legs over the small height between the rock and the floor of the ledge. Mitch leaned against a tree and looked out into the valley, not speaking.

"Jerome!" Grace said. "Come sit!" Jerome walked over to the small rock and sat in between Sasha and Grace.

"Isn't it pretty?" Sasha said. Grace leaned her head against Jerome's arm and Jerome moved his arm, wrapping it around her shoulders. Jerome cast a quick glance at Mitch and saw he hadn't moved. As Sasha chattered on aimlessly, Mitch realised something. _God, I'm an idiot. It isn't the lake that's changed, it's _me_. _

* * *

_What am I doing here? _Mitch looked over at Jerome for a split second and saw him staring at nothing, Sasha talking about Dora and Grace attempting to sing the theme song. _Me and dad don't belong with these people. They're all rich and have perfect lives whereas he's drunk all the time and I tried to cut myself open. Why did I even tell Jerome about that? I could've just ignored him. I _should've_ just ignored him. But… I don't think I could ignore him. He's just too… annoying or something. _

"Damn," Mitch mumbled. "Why am I thinking like this?"

"Did you say something, Mitch?" Cynthia asked.

"Nah," Mitch replied distantly.

"Look!" Sasha squealed. Mitch winced and rubbed his ear.

"Oh, isn't it gorgeous?" Cynthia cried. Mitch looked out at the valley and his eyes widened. Beautiful streaks of orange and pink splashed out across the horizon, lightening the sky from black to grey. _It does look pretty cool. Tory would've loved this. _Mitch felt a pang of guilt and sighed. _I shouldn't have said those things to her. It was cruel. If I think about it, there are a lot of things I shouldn't have said. _

"Jerome, don't you think it's beautiful?" Grace asked.

"Yeah," Jerome answered. Mitch scowled and turned around.

"I'm just going to walk around here for a while," Mitch said, walking past a bush.

"Be careful!" Cynthia called. _Like you care if I'm careful. _

* * *

"I'm going to follow him," Jerome said, standing up.

"Alright, don't get lost," Cynthia said.

"Bye-bye Jerome," Grace said. Jerome nodded and then walked in Mitch's direction. It was really hard to concentrate on not getting lost while at the same time stepping over holes and fallen tree branches. Jerome looked up and sighed. _I probably won't find him. Why am I even looking for him? Geez._

"Jerome? What the hell?" Mitch said, coming out of nowhere.

"Shit! You gave me a heart attack," Jerome breathed.

"That wasn't even scary," Mitch sighed. "You're such a pussy."

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me names," Jerome snapped, folding his arms. Mitch raised an eyebrow and took a step closer.

"Make me," he growled. Jerome shoved his chest, making Mitch take a step back.

"I don't need to prove anything to you. I _asked_ you not to call me names so stop acting like a dick," Jerome said, keeping his voice calm. Mitch's eyes narrowed and he closed the distance, fists clenching. Jerome gulped, fearing he'd taken it too far.

"Don't call me a dick," Mitch said voice low and dangerous.

"Oh, so I can't call you by your species? Sorry," Jerome retorted, trying not to sound nervous. _Where is this coming from?_

"Like I don't hear that every fricking day," Mitch said. "You can come up with something better." Jerome wanted to avert his eyes but didn't. With Mitch in such close vicinity, Jerome was noticing a lot of the little things that go unnoticed: like how Mitch was wearing two golden dog tags on a silver chain. And the little silver stud in his left ear. And how all of the pent up emotion he didn't express on his face burned in his eyes. It was terrifying.

"I've already said it, and I'll say it again," Jerome said, closing his eyes for a moment before reopening them and glaring at him. "I don't need to prove anything to you. You're not worth it and you never will be!"

"What happened to the whole you wanting to fix me thing?" Mitch snapped.

"Caitlyn was right, you're a lost cause! I don't know why I even bother thinking about you!"

"You think about me? How fricking sweet!"

"Why is it so hard for you to be _nice_ for once in your life?" Jerome screamed, not realising how loud he was. "I know you've got a shit life, but I've… I've defended you in front of my friends, in front of the adults, I've pitied you and forgiven you for all the crap you've put me through and all I want is for you to just return the favour for once!" Mitch looked shocked, but didn't say anything.

"I don't know why I even try! I don't know why I'm standing here _right now_! You're just… just a bitch who isn't worth it anymore, and I don't care if you beat me up but-"

"Why are you here, Jerome?" Mitch said, voice rising in pitch slightly.

"Because I _care_!" Jerome shouted.

"Why do you care?" Mitch asked angrily.

"I don't know! I don't know at all and it's driving me crazy!"

"Why is it so hard for you to leave me alone?"

"Oh, so now it's back to this?"

"You ran out here after me and you keep assuming we're friends! We're not!"

"I ran after you because for once in your life, I wanted you to feel needed!"

"I don't need your help!"

"You're being such a dick! Can't you just accept that?"

"Shut up!"

"No! I'm not going to shut up! Will you just stop acting like this and-"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Mitch shouted. Jerome screamed at him and soon the two were just shouting senselessly, not even using words, just sound. Trying to fill the silent void between them with noise because they had no other way to fight any more. They'd used up every other way to try and communicate.

"I can't believe you-"

Mitch cut Jerome off abruptly by grabbing his shirt collar and yanking him up, forcefully pressing his lips against Jerome's and kissing him. Jerome's eyes flung open in surprise and before Jerome could react Mitch dropped him, stepping back. His eyes widened in horror at what he'd just done and Jerome stared at him, slack-jawed.

"Mitch-" Jerome started, but Mitch turned around and ran away as fast as he could, leaving Jerome alone in the woods to process what just happened.

* * *

_No. No. No no no no. I didn't. I didn't just kiss Jerome._ Mitch ran without pause, bursting out of the trees and onto the ledge.

"Mitch? What's-" Cynthia began, but Mitch darted away down the path towards the camp. _Why did I do that? Why? God I'm such an idiot! _Mitch made it back to the camp in record time, breathless. He crawled into his tent and sat in the corner, hugging his knees to his chest, eyes wide.

"What the hell have I done?" Mitch whispered to the empty space. When Cynthia came back with Sasha, Grace and a soundless Jerome, she asked if Mitch was alright. Mitch told her he felt sick, which wasn't exactly a lie. Concerned, Cynthia called Paul – somehow getting reception – and made him come back early. Then Paul packed up everything while Mitch sat in the car, avoiding anyone who tried to come near him. Then they were driving away in silence.

"What happened?" Paul finally asked.

"Nothing," Mitch murmured. "I felt sick." _But the reason I feel sick is because I fricking kissed Jerome like an idiot and I hate him. But oh, that doesn't matter. What matters is I'm never going to be able to look at him again, and he'll tell everyone. No one will want to come near me. That's the worst part. _When in reality, to Mitch the worst part was he wasn't sure if he liked it or not…

But he was pretty sure he did.

* * *

**ERMAIGAWD IT HAPPENED!**

**IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED!**

**I DOUBLE UDPATED! :D**

**No, lol, not that. MEROME HAPPENED!** **But now Mitch is confused, we don't know how Jerome feels and yeah. If Mitch continues to reject Merome we may have to force feed him...**

**Sorry if it seemed rushed, but I just had to do it.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello Nerdians! So here's a happy chapter for you #Prestlyn fans. This is a sort-of action chapter, with some serious stuff going down, like a fight between Sydney and Kiara Farmer! You may remember her from chapter two.**

**Enjoy, and do my poll! Only two people have ;-;**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

Jerome sat cross-legged on the small rock that he'd sat on with Sasha and Grace earlier, staring at down at his phone, which was presently cupped in his hands. He had two bars of reception up here, amazingly.

**Jerome – Zak, I need your help. Please. I'm sorry about Thursday and I feel really bad for calling you names and yelling at you. Please pick up, because I really need someone to talk to.**

Jerome sighed and set his phone down beside him, putting his arms behind him and leaning back on them, pointing his face towards the sun and closing his eyes. _Come on Zak. _Ten minutes passed, and when Jerome's phone buzzed it was in his hands in a flash.

**Zak – I forgive you. It was my fault though. I said some things that I really shouldn't have said; I just really wanted things between us to stay normal. I didn't like the effect Mitch was having on you. Wow, I sound like such a dick.**

**Jerome – It's fine. I'm glad we can put it behind us. Can I please get your help with something now?**

**Zak – Sure. What's up?**

**Jerome – You need to promise not to tell ANYONE. **

**Zak – Cross my heart. Now what is it?**

Jerome took a deep breath, looking up fleetingly at the valley and wishing he could run away and hide there for a while.

**Jerome – Mitch may or may not have kissed me.**

**Zak – HOLY SHIT WHAT OH MY GOD I KNEW HE WAS GAY **

**Jerome – Zak. Please.**

**Zak – Okay. Just… wow. I SO SAW THAT COMING. I've always wanted to know what he and Mat did when they ditched together.**

Jerome's lip curled in annoyance. _He's being so immature._

**Jerome – Zak, don't act so stupid. I really don't know what to do. He kissed me and then he ran away and I just wanted to talk to someone. You're the only person I can trust.**

**Zak – Okay. I can be Doctor Phil.**

**Jerome – ZAK**

**Zak – Okay, calm down. What do you want me to do?**

**Jerome – I just need to talk it out with someone.**

**Zak – Then talk, dude.**

**Jerome – He really shocked me, because when he did we were just screaming at each other. And then he's just dropped me and sprinted off and he actually left the camp. **

**Zak – Wow, he over-reacted. **

**Jerome – Kinda. I can't blame him. But the worst part is that when he kissed me it felt like everything made sense. Like, everything I've been feeling?**

**Zak – That's deep. Go on.**

**Jerome – I'm surprised you're not going off at me.**

**Zak – Why would I? I'm your best friend! I always knew you'd turn out gay ^_^**

**Jerome – I'M NOT GAY! I DIDN'T ENJOY IT! YOU'RE SUCH A DICK!**

**Zak – I was joking. Geez.**

**Jerome – Don't joke about it.**

**Zak – Alright. I won't.**

**Jerome – Shoot, my parents are calling me. Can I talk to you later?**

**Zak – Sure buddy. Anything if you need it :)**

**Jerome – Thanks Zak. I knew I could trust you.**

**Zak – You bet it. **

Jerome sighed, feeling slightly relived. _He didn't blow up. _Jerome stood up and walked down the path, pushing his phone down deep into his pocket. Jerome took a deep breath, tried a few practise smiles, and walked into the camp with a semi-believable beam plastered on his face.

* * *

"Brace yourselves; brace yourselves… for the _Grand Finale_!" Sydney and Caitlyn screamed along to the stereo. Iris leaned forward from the back seat and turned down the stereo, rolling her eyes. The beat of Madeon's hit Finale faded, and Sydney pouted.

"I was enjoying that!" she protested. Iris Madden flicked her thin rainbow hair over her shoulder and smirked.

"You sounded like a pack of dying camels," she said flatly.

"Really? I think I've got the potential to go on American Idol," Sydney said happily.

"American Idol for challenged people," Iris muttered, slumping back in her seat.

"I didn't invite you out just for you to be all moody," Caitlyn said. "Put a smile on your face! And don't be mean to challenged people."

"You're only all cheery because you're going to see _Preston_," Sydney said. Iris giggled and Caitlyn's face flushed, hands tightening around the steering wheel.

"Am not! I'm excited because… there's food…" Caitlyn finished lamely. Sydney smirked and Iris looked at Caitlyn pointedly. "Oh, shut up!" Caitlyn hissed, making the two burst into laughter. _I thought girl time was meant to be fun, not poking fun at me about Preston._

"I heard you and Preston were already dating," Iris said, wriggling her eyebrows.

"We aren't dating. Besides, I bet you made up that rumour yourself. You practically run the rumour mill at school," Caitlyn grumbled.

"Hey, Caitlyn?" Sydney said. Caitlyn cast a quick look at Sydney put on a big smile and horrible imitation of Caitlyn's voice: "Put a _smile_ on your face!" Iris snorted, making Sydney laugh, and Sydney's high-pitched laughter set Iris off, and then Caitlyn was laughing because their combined laughter was hilarious.

"We're here," Caitlyn managed to gasp as pulled up to the curb, shifting the gears to park and pulling the handbrake.

"Yay!" Iris squealed, leaping out of the car as Caitlyn yanked the keys out of the ignition. Sydney sighed and pushed her hair behind her ears, looking meekly up at the house.

"What's up, Syd?" Caitlyn asked, pausing halfway out her door.

"If you and Preston start dating, you won't forget about me, will you?" Sydney asked. Caitlyn smiled ad reached over the seat, taking Sydney's hand in hers.

"Sisters before misters, Syd. Besides, it would be cruel leaving you to deal with Iris by yourself," Caitlyn said with a laugh. Sydney smiled at Caitlyn and then climbed out of the car. Caitlyn finished her descent and shut the door, clicking the button on her keys to lock it before jamming the keys in her pocket. The pair walked up to the door and walked in, finding themselves in a spacious living room.

"Caitlyn! Sydney!" Iris called, waving. "Over here!" Caitlyn looked at Sydney and raised an eyebrow, kicking the door behind with the heel of her sneakers to close it. Sydney walked over with Caitlyn in tow, and saw a familiar, annoying face: Kiara Farmer. She flicked her blonde curls over her shoulder and batted her lashes at Preston, making Caitlyn's fists clench involuntarily.

"So it's true?" Peter Reynolds asked, nudging his idiot sidekick James Cullen. James snickered.

"_Totally_ true," Kiara gushed, voice practically dripping with fake sincerity. "Clair was there and everything." Clair Thompson – another blonde who made stereotypes reality – giggled as she nodded.

"It was so weird," Clair said, rolling her eyes and tapping her brilliantly painted manicure on the table behind her. "Who would've pegged Mitchell Hughes and Jerome Aceti?"

"Mitch is _such_ a hunk," another girl said dreamily, twirling her black locks around her finger. "He has that total bad boy vibe." Caitlyn gagged as her mind raced to catch up.

"What's this about Mitch and Jerome?" Caitlyn asked, pushing her way forward. Kiara's pink lips curled in distaste as she took in Caitlyn's black jeans and her yellow Nike shirt.

"Oh. You," she muttered. She put a hand in front of her mouth and whispered something to Clair, sending Clair into a giggling fit.

"I just got word that on their camping trip Mitch's family went on with Jerome's family that they _kissed_," Kiara said scandalously. Sydney gaped and Caitlyn's eyes widened. _Jerome and Mitch? Shit! How would they have made up that rumour? Was it Logan? I really doubt Mitch is gay, and Jerome… he's just odd… oh geez, this isn't going to blow over._

"Who told you that piece of bullshit?" Sydney snorted. Caitlyn felt her Sydney's hand curl in hers and took a deep breath. "Jerome's a good guy; he wouldn't do something like that. Are you really _that_ blonde to believe that?" _She's sticking up for him! Oh, Sydney, you are the best friend in the world._

"How dare you," Kiara said, glittering eyes narrowing dangerously. "You can't just insult me like that!"

"Whoops, too late: I just did," Sydney hissed. "What are you going to do? Call your big, strong boyfriend to bash me?"

"I just might," Kiara said, horrified no one was standing up for her. She looked at Sydney and Caitlyn's linked hands and smirked. "I bet you two are just as gay as Jerome and Mitch. Sticking up for your kind is all you're doing!"

"Oh wow," Sydney said, opening the floodgates of sarcasm and prepping her weapons. "So original! Where'd you get it from? Did it come up when you vomited your breakfast?" One delicate hand fluttered over Kiara's mouth in shock and Clair gasped with a few of the girls in the crowd, while most of the boys made stupid "Ooo" sounds. Caitlyn squeezed Sydney's hand gratefully, trying to piece together what had happened with Jerome.

"At least I actually eat in consideration," Kiara hissed. "When was the last time you saw your feet?" Caitlyn's jaw dropped. _You're calling Sydney fat? She's beautiful! Looks better then you ever will!_

"Around about the last time you kissed a boy," Sydney retorted. A few boys laughed as Kiara blushed furiously.

"Shots fired!" one boy yelled from behind James and Peter. Caitlyn could see Preston trying to push through the growing lump of people. _How many people did he invite out? Seriously._

"At least I actually have kissed a boy!" Kiara said indignantly. Clair giggled venomously.

"Sorry honey, but he was gay," Sydney said sweetly. "He just wanted to be able to say he actually had kissed a girl."

"Oh snap!" James chuckled. Kiara's face was getting redder and redder by the second. Sydney smirked and rubbed her nails against her shirt, examining them with disinterest.

"Any time now, Kiara. I actually have a life to get back to – and god forbid you miss your scheduled nose surgery," Sydney said. Kiara's jaw dropped.

"You little _bitch_," Kiara spluttered. "I've been doing this for a long time-"

"I bet it's around the same length as how long you last in bed," Sydney said with finality. This time everyone in the room gasped.

"How _dare_ you even-"

"Oh, I forgot! Everything you ever said about that was bullshit, wasn't it?" Sydney said sweetly. Kiara finally made a strangled screaming noise and stormed out of the house, Clair right behind her. The door slammed and Caitlyn looked at Sydney in amazement.

'Remind me to never get on your bad side," Caitlyn said. Sydney laughed and hugged her tight.

"I couldn't let her sit back and say that shit about Jerome. I know he's your friend," she whispered in Caitlyn's ear. Caitlyn's heart swelled with pride. _She is truly the best girl in the world._

"Well, Sydney," Preston marvelled as he made his way to them. "That was phenomenal. I wish I videoed it." The crowd of party-goers were slowly dispersing, casting nervous looks at Sydney. Sydney smiled at Preston and Caitlyn saw he looked pleased.

"I didn't even invite those idiots. But they came with Peter and James and I couldn't exactly kick them all out," Preston said with a sigh. Preston's gaze switched to Caitlyn and he smiled gently.

"Thanks for actually coming," he said softly.

"Of course I would've come," Caitlyn said. Preston smiled, cheeks colouring slightly. Sydney rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"One, admit you love each other and get it over with," she said sarcastically. "Two, we need to figure out who started these rumours." Preston's blush grew and Caitlyn punched her arm.

"Syd!" Caitlyn said embarrassment audible in her voice. Preston looked at her, indecisive.

"She's right," he said finally, and he grabbed Caitlyn's by the waist, pulling her close and firmly planting his lips on her's. Caitlyn was shocked but melted into the warm kiss easily. When they broke away, Preston was grinning like a mad man and Caitlyn was blushing furiously, very aware of the fact Preston's hands still rested gently on her hips.

"That was amazing," Caitlyn whispered.

"Yeah," Preston sighed.

"Alright, now that we've taken care of that…" Sydney said, coughing loudly. Caitlyn took a step back from Preston, lips still tingling.

"Now for part two?" Sydney prompted. Caitlyn tore her gaze from Preston and smiled brightly.

"Yep. Let's go find out who started this and kick their ass," Caitlyn chirped.

"My money's on Logan. Apparently Mitch nearly decked him in first on Thursday for implying he was in a relationship with Jerome," Sydney suggested.

"I can back that. I saw them come up and I heard what went down in DeCosta's office," Caitlyn added.

"There's only one person that Jerome would've confided in if it actually happened," Preston said, running a hand through his hair and frowning.

"No," Caitlyn said, shaking her head. "Zak wouldn't do that. I've known him longer than Jerome. He's a good dude; he wouldn't just… ruin Jerome like that."

"But they did have that huge fight about Mitch," Sydney added doubtfully. "It was him." Caitlyn stared at her in silence, and Sydney started to worry.

"Caitlyn? Talk to me. Earth to Caitlyn!" Sydney said fretfully, shaking her shoulder.

"She's zoned out," Preston chuckled. Then Caitlyn's eyes flared in anger and she spun around on her heel quickly.

"I am going to _murder_ his ass!"

* * *

Mitch opened his eyes and stared silently at the roof. The leaky brown roof that looked cardboard because his father refused to get new insulation.

"My life is so screwed up," Mitch told his roof. "So hurry up and fall on me and my sleep." His only response was his bed creaking loudly as he shifted onto his side. Mitch was very aware that the house empty. As soon as they'd got home, Paul had thrown all of their stuff in the foyer and then went out for a drink. He was probably passed on somewhere in an alley now, since that had been two hours ago. Mitch got out of his bed and rested his head against the wall, closing his eyes.

"Okay. So I kissed Jerome. It's no big deal. He won't tell anyone. I can make sure he won't tell anyone," Mitch said, trying desperately to reassure himself. "He's as isolated as me. His only friend is that fat asshole." Mitch sighed, pressing his hands against the wall.

"It's not that big of a deal. I don't have to tell anyone. I never talk to anyone anyway. It's all going to be totally, amazingly fine," Mitch said, voice shaking slightly towards the end. "It's not like I liked it or anything. It's not like… like it made so much sense… It's not…" Mitch stopped, taking a step back from the wall. He blinked emotionlessly, and then punched the wall with all his might. His hand went straight through it. Mitch growled and walked over to the other side of his room, pacing back and forth, arms crossed. He kicked his bedpost violently and looked at the floor.

"Why am I such an idiot?" Mitch muttered. He grabbed the only photo frame on his shelf and stared at it. A photo of him and his dad from when he was six. Mitch didn't realise how hard he was trying not to cry when the photo frame snapped in two, glass falling lightly with a tinkling sound. Mitch threw both pieces to the floor and clenched his fists, stomping on the broken frame heavily and angrily. Glass embedded in his foot but he didn't care. Mitch grabbed his text books off the end of his bed and threw them viciously at the wall, letting it crack. Mitch made a strangled noise – a cross between a scream and a sob – and crouched down, arms going over his head and tucking his head onto his knees.

"God damn," he cried into his knees. After a moment, he unfolded himself and sat against the wall, staring at nothing as tears streamed down his face, feet bleeding from the glass and the skin on his knuckles torn. Mitch stayed there for maybe an hour, and no one came.

No one _ever_ came.

* * *

**Mitch feels ;-; Such sadness...**

**Anyways, do like it? I had a lot of fun writing the fight between Sydney and Kiara. It was amusing. And Jerome and Mitch don't know about Zak but Caitlyn, Sydney and Preston do... because we all know it was Zak. Jerome only told one person, the person he thought he could trust. What will happen when Jerome gets back? **

**DRAMA WILL GO DOWN!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello Nerdians! How's it going? How is your day? My day was actually pretty good for once :) I've been thinking too. It was painful. (Dad jokes for the win) Anyway, I think the reason Collision Course is going pretty alright is because I don't have a set date for updates. I just go as it comes. And it works that I have a set amount of pages to limit myself to. That's five to seven pages on Word, if you didn't know. It's a good amount to set myself to, it reduces stress. On this chapter, I actually did eight so I got rid of one line of dialogue to fit it all in. **

* * *

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

That Monday, Jerome woke up feeling refreshed in a weird way. He had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that something bad was going to happen, but he couldn't place it. Jerome looked at his bedside table and stared at his phone. Every Monday Zak messaged him to ask him what classes they had. _Every_ Monday. And the likelihood of Zak actually remembering his schedule was very low.

"Jerome! Hurry up!" Cynthia hollered up the stairs. Shrugging his shoulders, Jerome climbed out of his bed and got changed into a plaid shirt and his usual jeans. While he was looking for his shoes, his phone buzzed. Looking up from under his bed, Jerome reached up and grabbed it, tapping open his messages.

**Caitlyn – When you get to school, come straight to me. No detours.**

**Jerome – But I'm suspended.**

Frowning, Jerome stood up and stuffed his phone in his pocket.

"Jerome!" Cynthia yelled in warning. Jerome walked out of his room and padded down the hallway, pausing at the top of the stairs. _I wonder what's up. I feel all sick to my stomach…_

"Morning mum," Jerome said as he grabbed a bowl and filled it with cereal.

"Good morning honey," Cynthia said with a smile. "How was your sleep?"

"Much better in my normal bed. Sleeping bags aren't fun," he replied, sliding into a seat at the bench. "Where's Grace?"

"Sleeping in," Cynthia answered, her brow creasing as she pushed a curly runaway over her ear. "She was sick last night and we're not sending her to school."

"Oh," he muttered. "Funny. I'm not feeling too well either. Maybe we ate something bad."

"I'd love to say you can stay home, but your Principal called. He said you're not suspended anymore," she said. Jerome stopped, spoon halfway to his mouth and dripping milk.

"What?" Jerome said in surprise. "He just cancelled it?"

"Pretty much," she said. "I didn't believe him at first, but he said it was fine. He mentioned something else had come up."

"Huh," Jerome murmured to his spoon. "I wonder if Zak is off as well. He didn't message me this morning."

"Maybe," Cynthia allowed. "Now hurry up and eat and pack, young man. We don't want you to be late. Oh, and if you see Mitch, tell him we hope he's alright." Once again, Jerome froze. _Shit. I have to face him? This is going to be so awkward._

"Mitch," Jerome said shakily, gulping. "Sure. I'll tell him."

"What's wrong?" Cynthia asked, twirling gracefully to deposit empty bowls into the sink.

"Nothing," Jerome said quickly. "I'll go get ready. I need to find my shoes."

"You left them by the door!" Cynthia called as he raced up the steps, breakfast forgotten.

"Thanks," he replied distantly. He walked into his room and grabbed his bag, stuffing his textbooks and work books into his bag. He looked out his window and saw Mitch's blinds were open, his room empty. Jerome stared into his room for a moment and frowned. Dropping his bag and walking closer to his window, Jerome pushed it open and squinted.

"Is that… glass?" Jerome muttered. "And blood? What the hell happened?" _Maybe there was a break in. Maybe he's dead. Should I be relived or sad? _

"Hurry up, Jerome!" Cynthia yelled.

"Alright!" Jerome yelled back in exasperation, closing his window and grabbing his bag, running down the stairs. He hugged his mother and then ran to the front door, jamming his feet in his shoes and walking outside quickly, swinging his bag onto his back and moving as fast as he could. Jerome saw a figure shuffling his feet up ahead, waiting beside the stop sign at the crossing for the end of the road. The tall person wore a red and black hoodie that looked familiar, and Jerome stopped abruptly. _Dammit. _The figure looked up and Jerome would've laughed. You couldn't see Mitch's eyes, because they were hidden behind the hood, which had been pulled down low. _This is like some cheesy horror movie. Except he probably actually has a knife hidden in his pocket._ Jerome took a deep breath and kept walking, head low. He started to walk past Mitch but Mitch's hand whipped out like lightning, closing around his wrist. Jerome stared at his hand, eyes widening in fear. He didn't look up but Jerome knew Mitch was staring at him from under his hood.

"What are we going to do?" Mitch asked, and Jerome was shocked. His voice sounded weak and small. He was hunched over and sounded like he'd been crying.

"I don't know," Jerome said, yanking his hand out of Mitch's grip. Jerome started to walk away but Mitch grabbed him again, grip steel. Jerome didn't even bother trying to wrench his arm free. _I'd probably break my wrist. _Mitch took a shuddery breath and laughed.

"Well, I'm a mess. How was your weekend?"

"Are we just going to pretend it never happened?" Jerome asked, half-hopeful and half-disappointed. _We need to talk about it. I'm not going to be able to live in silence._

"I'd like to, but I doubt you'd want that," Mitch said sadly.

"Tell me this: What was running through your mind when you… you know…" Jerome said awkwardly.

"Kissed," Mitch whispered. Jerome flinched and closed his eyes.

"Y-Yeah."

"Honestly, I have no idea. I _didn't_ think," Mitch chuckled, voice breaking. "I don't know what to do. I feel so hopeless right now."

"I feel sick," Jerome said, opening his eyes. "I don't know what to do either."

"It's funny," Mitch mumbled.

"No, it's not," Jerome snapped.

"No, not the whole thing. What's funny is that Caitlyn, of all people, knew what was going to happen before we did," Mitch replied, some familiar annoyance tinging the edges of his words.

"What makes you think that?" Jerome asked guardedly.

"She stopped me in the hallway," Mitch said, looking away down the street. "Tried to ask me if something else was going on. I shoved her and ran away. Which is ironic. I told myself never to run away from my problems and an annoying chick was the one to make me break that promise."

"So Caitlyn's a problem?" Jerome asked.

"No. _You're_ my problem. You have been from the start," Mitch said angrily.

"Thanks a lot," Jerome muttered.

"This isn't the time to act like a dick," Mitch snapped. Jerome jerked away, managing to free his hand, his wrist throbbing.

"Me? Acting like a dick? I'm going to be late for school," Jerome shouted. He started to walk and Mitch didn't follow.

"Jerome," Mitch said. Jerome stopped, fists clenching, teeth gritted. _Don't turn around. Don't turn around. If you turn around, you're never going to be able to turn back. _Jerome looked up and took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders. He turned and glared at Mitch, who flipped off his hood, revealing his bloodshot eyes. He had deep bags under his eyes as well and they lacked their usual spark. They were dull and weary.

"What are we going to do?" Mitch asked softly. Jerome sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"We? Is there a we now?"

"I don't _know_, Jerome. I don't know how to do this. The only person I trust is Victoria, and I've probably ruined that. I don't know what to do, and it's scaring me," Mitch admitted. Jerome closed his eyes, massaging the bridge of his nose. When he opened his eyes, Mitch was looking at him hopefully.

"I guess you'll have to learn to trust me then."

* * *

The school grounds were silent. Deathly silent. They hadn't been this quiet since a year ten girl named Tessa had been killed in a car crash outside the school a few years back. Jerome looked around the grounds for Caitlyn and was surprised to see most glares and whispers were pointed at him. Everyone gave Mitch and Jerome a wide berth, and Mitch glared at anyone who came close to them. Jerome looked ahead and saw Caitlyn, Preston and Sydney standing together. Caitlyn's face was rigid with unchecked rage, Sydney looked sad and Preston looked weary. Jerome walked up to them and looked over his shoulder, people still staring at him and Mitch.

"What's going on?" Jerome whispered. He felt as though if he spoke any louder he'd break the tense floodgates and something horrible would happen.

"You don't know?" Sydney asked in surprise.

"Well no," Jerome asked. Sydney looked at Mitch and took a hesitant step back. Caitlyn suddenly threw her arms around Jerome in a tight hug.

"They all know," Caitlyn whispered in his ear. "Every single one of them." Jerome's blood ran cold. _No. She can't be serious. How would they have found out? I only told one person… oh my god. _Caitlyn pulled away, anger in her eyes.

"He hasn't come to school yet," Sydney said quietly. "We would've murdered him already if he was here."

"What do you think is going to happen?" Preston asked.

"I think you should all leave him alone," Mitch hissed. "We don't want you dragged down in this."

"So did it actually happen?" Sydney asked, voice low. Jerome felt a flash of panic. _Do we tell them the truth? _Jerome looked at the three, and then he realised something: these were officially his friends. They were going to beat up Zak for him, after all. And they were talking to him, not whispering and pointing. _They deserve the truth. _Jerome took a deep breath and nodded. Shock played out on Preston and Sydney's faces but Caitlyn just squeezed his arm.

"We're here for you," she said with a sad smile. Then the chaos began.

"Get away from him! You might catch the gay!" some kid yelled. The whole courtyard burst out into laughter and Jerome's cheeks flamed. He turned around and started at the laughing crowd, all of them against him. And all he had on his team was three brilliant people and one unwilling ally.

* * *

"Who said that?" Mitch roared. The crowd fell silent and, unsurprisingly, Logan was pushed to the front. He smiled dazzlingly and then it dawned on Mitch he was powerless. They weren't scared of him anymore. He'd never felt this desperate and scared in his life.

"Logan," Mitch growled, fists clenching. Logan spread his arms out, still smiling.

"We all saw it coming, quite frankly. And too bad you couldn't of picked someone who actually looked good," Logan said.

"Don't you dare," Mitch snapped.

"You can't do anything about it, _Mitchell_," Logan said slyly. "You're secrets' out. Now all you are is another gay faggot." Mitch shrieked and ran forward, fist pulled back. He punched Logan hard and Logan fell backwards, clutching his cheekbone, eyes screwed up in pain.

"You've gone soft! You can hit harder, you pussy!" Logan shouted. Mitch punched his hard again in the gut, and Logan doubled over, holding his stomach.

"Homo," Logan wheezed. Mitch cracked his elbow on the back of Logan's head, sending him tumbling down on his face. He struggled to rise but he managed one last insult:

"No wonder your mother abandoned you. She was too ashamed to have a gay kid," Logan hissed. Mitch froze and a collective gasp went up. One boy snickered, and Mitch calmly straightened. Then he leaned down and picked Logan up by the collar, holding him up high. Logan's eye was swollen and bruised, his lip split, his cheek bleeding. Then Mitch threw him violently, and Logan smashed onto the group. Mitch ran over to him and kicked him hard in the ribs, a loud _crack _sounding. Mitch screamed senselessly, kicking him and pounding him with his fists, calling him every profanity under the sun, until arms closed around Mitch and dragged him back, still screaming and fighting to be freed so he could finish off Logan. Dimly Mitch knew it was Preston holding him back, but Mitch kept fighting. Teachers were rushing out and a few girls were crying as Logan lay there bleeding, a puddle forming around him. Mr DeCosta was there, ordering another teacher to call nine-one-one, and Mitch was suddenly on his knees and crying because he knew he had nearly killed him, all because he couldn't face the truth.

* * *

Preston got a cut lip from Mitch's flailing arms managing to connect, but now that he had laid him down Mitch was on his knees sobbing his eyes out. Caitlyn ran up to Preston and grabbed his hand.

"Are you okay?" she asked quickly.

"Is Logan dead?" Preston asked weakly, flopping back and sitting crossed-legged. Caitlyn sat beside him and watched the teachers try to help Logan.

"He completely lost it," Caitlyn said, voice quiet. "Logan mentioned his mum and then it was like _bam. _He could've killed him. He would've gone to jail." Jerome walked over and stood over Mitch, face expressionless.

"What do you think they'll do with him?" he asked softly.

"Expelled for sure," Preston snapped. "Think realistically."

"But Logan provoked it. And DeCosta has a soft spot for Mitch," Sydney piped up from her spot behind Jerome.

"Kids. Please move away," Mr DeCosta ordered as he marched over. Caitlyn helped Preston up and moved back, Jerome and Sydney by their side. Mr DeCosta crouched down beside Mitch and shook his shoulder gently.

"Mitchell, when you can, please come to my office. Immediately," he said. He looked up and  
pinned his gaze on Jerome. "You four too, please." Caitlyn looked over at Jerome, who looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"We should go wait outside the office…" Caitlyn said, trailing off. _What is going to happen? You aren't tried as an adult in court until you're eighteen, right? And he didn't actually kill him… so Juvie is the worst thing he could get… right? _A teacher came rushing out with an air horn and gave it to Mr DeCosta quickly, who the depressed the button. A loud, ear-splitting shriek pierced the tears, shouts and nervous chatter of the courtyard, making everyone fall silent.

"School is cancelled for the day! Return to your homes if you can and notify your parents or guardian immediately! If you cannot go to your own home, go with a trusted friend! Classes will resume as normal tomorrow! Now all of you go!" Mr DeCosta bellowed. A few half-hearted cheers for a school-free day went up but didn't catch on. Everyone filed out as fast as they could, leaving only the Paramedics racing up from the ambulance that pulled up to collect Logan and have him carted away. Caitlyn looked at Preston, taking a deep breath.

"I think I'm going to cry," she stuttered.

"Do you want me to hug you?" Preston asked awkwardly.

"Yeah," Caitlyn said, letting out a sob. Preston wrapped his arms around her protectively and she cried into his shoulder. Mitch eventually stopped crying and stood up, emotionless and silent. He stared at nothing and then turned, walking up to the steps and disappearing inside.

"This is all Zak's fault," Caitlyn said tearfully, pulling away and wiping her eyes.

"I only told him because he was my best friend," Jerome whispered to no one. "I trusted him. He told me he could trust him. I'm such an idiot. None of this would've happened if I didn't tell him."

"Don't blame yourself," Sydney said, clapping his shoulder. "It's Zak who should be tied to a stake and burned slowly and painfully. We can also release some rats to eat his dick. Does that sound good?" Despite everything, Caitlyn laughed at Jerome's horrified expression.

"Oh, Syd," she sighed, grabbing her friend and pulling her into a hug. "We can always count on you to ruin serious moments."

"You can count on it."

* * *

Jerome sat wordlessly outside the office, looking up and down the hallway. Caitlyn had offered to go first for questioning from Mr DeCosta, and Sydney and Preston were inside the actual office, leaving Mitch and Jerome to sit on plastic chairs out in the hallway. Mitch sat back, head against the wall, hands folded in his lap. There were quiet.

"He told me my mother left me because I was gay," Mitch finally said, his voice wobbling slightly. "He took it too far."

"I know."

"Do you hate me?"

"No. Geez, no. He deserved it," Jerome sighed. "I don't blame you for anything." More silence filled the air and Mitch sighed, closing his eyes.

"It's weird," Jerome said finally. "I've never seen you so vulnerable."

"What do you mean?" Mitch asked, anger tinting his words he blinked his eyes open, looking at Jerome.

"Crying like that. And I could see your bedroom through my window. All that broken glass and the suspicious blood stain," Jerome said, unfazed by his anger. Mitch sighed again.

"I broke a photo," Mitch said emotionlessly.

"Oh," Jerome murmured.

"You didn't have to ever defend me, you know," Mitch said. "At the camp, at school, in the café. You could've just forgotten me and we wouldn't have to go through this."

"I don't think I would've been able to forget you," Jerome replied. _I can't believe I'm saying this. _"This has been the most exciting two weeks of my life, actually. And… you've changed me. For better or worse, I can't tell yet. But I don't think I would want to stop this now. Whatever we've got." Mitch sighed and rested his head on his knees.

"I don't know what to do with myself," he whispered. "I've lived most of my life without anyone. But now I feel really alone and I don't know where to go from here." The two were silent and eventually Mitch looked up, leaning his head against the wall behind his seat.

"I… If you feel alone…" Jerome stuttered. "I think I know… how… how I felt…" All the colour drained out of Mitch's face and he closed his eyes.

"Please don't," he whispered. "Because if you say it I'll know."

"I thought you said you didn't hide," Jerome said, voice strong. "If you know, admit it."

"I don't want to," Mitch snapped. "If I admit it everything is going to change and I can't deal with it. I'll end up a mess."

"Mitch," Jerome said, "You already are a mess. God, I'm a mess. We're both messed up people. We're both alone."

"You don't know what that word means!" Mitch said angrily. "You don't know what it means to be alone. You don't understand! You can tell yourself that you're alone but you're _not_." Jerome was quiet. _This is the most emotion I've ever gotten out of him. What do I do? _

"You're right, Mitch," Jerome said evenly. "I don't know what it means. I have a family and friends and a good life. I've never been alone. I've always had someone. But I want to know… if… if you had the chance to have someone with you, would you choose them or would you stay by yourself?"

"Stop it," Mitch whispered, screwing his eyes shut and covering his ears.

"I thought about what happened and how it felt after you left. For the rest of the trip it was all I thought about. I sorted out my emotions."

"Shut up."

"Mitch, I know how I feel. Now all you need to do is tell me how _you _feel."

"I said shut up!" Mitch yelled, eyes snapping open. He looked like he would punch Jerome but instead clenched his fists and crossed his arms.

"Mitch, please."

"Stop it, now."

"Mitch, I'm pretty sure that-"

"Don't!"

"I like you," Jerome finished lamely. Mitch froze and stood up. He glared at Jerome and then turned, marching down the hall. Jerome got up and ran after him, grabbing his arm.

"You need to admit it," Jerome said desperately.

"Leave me alone!" Mitch shouted, pulling his arm free.

"I thought you could handle it! I thought that all this time while you acted tough and unfazed by the world, I thought you'd be able to deal with this one fricking thing!"

"_Shut up_!"

"Why can't you just come to terms with this? Why can't you just admit it?"

"Because I'm too afraid!" Mitch screamed, whirling around. Jerome stopped and stared passively at him. "I'm too scared." Jerome walked up to Mitch and looked up at him. Mitch dwarfed him by a good three inches.

"I want you to tell me how you feel," Jerome said. "Please." Mitch looked down at him, eyes cold. Mitch opened his mouth to speak and but then closed it, shaking his head lamely. _Why? _Against everything, Jerome straightened up and kissed Mitch gently on the lips. Mitch jolted and Jerome closed his eyes. It was tender and sweet, and surprisingly, Mitch didn't pull away.

Instead, he kissed back.

* * *

**Yay! So did you like it? Was it good enough? THE MEROME! SQUEEE! So let's recap:**

**. Mitch nearly killed Logan**

**. Merome.**

**. Zak was a no show**

**So yeah. Tell me what you thought about it and do my poll! You all surprised me with that actually. _Sydney_ has four votes.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello Nerdians and welcome to another chapter of Collision Course!**

* * *

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

"Do you know exactly what happened?" Mr DeCosta asked. Caitlyn pulled at the hem of her shirt nervously, scrunching it up in her hands. The fabric stretched, distorting the swirling design printed on it.

"Well… I only found out about this… kiss thing yesterday. I went out to a party with my friends Iris and Sydney," Caitlyn said.

"What are their last names?" Mr DeCosta asked, picking up a piece of paper and a pen.

"Iris Madden and Sydney Blake," Caitlyn replied quickly.

"Excellent," Mr DeCosta said, setting his paper aside. "Now, what transpired this morning? Nothing but the truth, please."

"Well… Mitch and Jerome arrived together and they came over to us. I tried to tell them what happened and then… Logan Franco came up and starting calling Mitch names. Mitch took maybe two insults and then punched him in the face. Logan said some more stuff and he got knocked down. Then… then Logan said something about Mitch's mum abandoned him because she was too ashamed he was gay," Caitlyn said quietly, nervousness caking her words. Mr DeCosta looked shocked. He took off his glasses and sighed, rubbing them gently before replacing them on his nose.

"That is unacceptable," he said. "But Mitch has done a lot of damage to Mr Franco. The doctors suspect a concussion, broken cheekbone and one broken and one fractured rib. Along with a broken wrist." _Shit. That's a lot of damage._

"You can't expel Mitch, sir," Caitlyn said, leaning forward slightly. "I know he's annoying and a bully but it's Logan's fault for pushing him over the edge!"

"Mitchell has a history of seven suspensions and well over fifty detentions. And that's over his primary and high school years. He hasn't been expelled as of yet because I've been exceptionally lenient, Miss Howell. He should've been expelled years ago," Mr DeCosta said simply.

"It's not Mitch's fault! This never would've happened if Zak hadn't leaked!" Caitlyn stopped, realising what she'd done. Mr DeCosta's brow furrowed and he looked at her over his glasses.

"Pardon? Did you say Zak? As in Zak Thornbury? He' still on suspension for fighting Jerome. After a source came forward on Friday explaining the fight was Zak's doing we let Jerome off and extended his. He's not supposed to be at school."

"I think what happened is… I think that Jerome told Zak first, because he trusted him. They'd been friends for five years, and I've known Zak even longer," Caitlyn swallowed thickly. "I think after Jerome told Zak, Zak told Kiara Farmer. Kiara told everyone at Preston's party on Sunday and from there it's gotten around."

"Who was at this party?" Mr DeCosta asked.

"All the popular kids. Me, Sydney and Iris were only there because Preston invited us," Caitlyn said, waving her hand. Mr DeCosta smiled lightly.

"I will never understand these cliques," he sighed. "Can you tell me loosely who was at the party?"

"Uh… the football and basketball team. The Cheerleaders and their friends. The formal committee for this year twelve," Caitlyn said, thinking about it. "I think that's it."

"Thank you, Miss Howell," Mr DeCosta said. "Will you please send the next person inside and make sure that Mitch and Jerome don't run off? I have something they need to stay for."

"Yes sir," Caitlyn said, standing up. She walked out of the room and let out a long sigh of relief. Preston looked up at her and smiled.

"You alright?" he asked. Caitlyn nodded.

"Where'd Syd go?" Caitlyn asked, looking around the office.

"She went out to call her mum and say she'd be coming home soon," Preston said, standing up. "Is it my turn to go in?" Caitlyn nodded again, and as he went to pass her he stopped, stepping in front of her. Preston kissed her lightly and then walked into the office. A bright smile on Caitlyn's face, she walked out into the hall to make sure Mitch and Jerome were still there. She stopped in her tracks and the smile slipped. Jerome was currently pulling away from _kissing _Mitch, and Mitch looked like he was going to explode.

"I've told you how I feel," Jerome said, voice hard. "Now you need to tell me how you feel."

"You're a persistent bastard," Mitch hissed, rubbing his mouth with his sleeve.

"You kissed back," Jerome said, his voice noticeably quieter. "Why?"

"Because…" Mitch trailed off. He huffed and threaded his hands through his hair, frustration clear on his face. "I don't know! One second I think I like you and then you act like a dick and I don't and… I can't figure it out!"

"Just admit you love him already," Caitlyn said softly. The boys whirled around stared at her. Jerome looked shocked and Mitch looked furious.

"Don't tell what to do," Mitch snapped. Caitlyn raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. Mitch sighed, rubbing his face and pausing, hiding his eyes behind his hands.

"Fine," Mitch whispered to his hands, voice so low Caitlyn had to strain to hear. "I… I love you."

* * *

_I didn't. I didn't. I didn't just do that. No. Nope. I didn't. I'm going to wait up any second sitting next to Mat coming off a high. I swear to god if I don't wait up right now I'm going to punch a wall._

"What?" Jerome stuttered, a shell-shocked expression on his face. Caitlyn clapped slowly, and Mitch glared poisonously at her. _You little bitch. You made me say it. I don't even love him! I… shit. I do, don't I?_

"You heard me, don't rub it in my fricking face," Mitch snapped, angrily pushing past Jerome and marching to the door, fists clenched. Caitlyn let out a little sigh as Mitch shoved open the door angrily.

"Mitch-" Jerome's voice was cut off as the door swung closed. Mitch slumped in a seat, staring blankly. _Great. I've screwed up what I had with Tory. I've nearly killed Logan. I've been publicly humiliated. Is there any more shit you want me to go through? _Mitch swallowed thickly. _Don't answer that question. I hate my life as it is. Please don't make me do this anymore. _Mitch blinked a few times and sighed, screwing his eyes shut. He wanted to cry, but he'd run out of tears.

* * *

Jerome stared at Caitlyn and she stared back.

"Caitlyn…?" Jerome said worryingly. Caitlyn swallowed and put her hands in the pockets of her jeans.

"I'm cool," she said with a smile. Jerome sighed and Caitlyn walked up to him, hugging him tightly.

"Do I need to give you the sex talk?" Caitlyn whispered in his ear. Jerome shoved her away, blushing bright red, embarrassment covering his face.

"_Caitlyn_!"

"It's a serious topic, Jerome," Caitlyn said, wriggling her eyebrows. Jerome looked horrified but he still grinned.

"Despite everything, you're still yourself. You're amazing," Jerome said. A moment of comfortable silence passed between the pair, and Caitlyn sighed.

"What are you going to tell your parents?" Caitlyn asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Jerome asked, honestly puzzled. Caitlyn sighed, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Well… you just admitted your gay," Caitlyn said with a nervous chuckle. "I'm going to need some getting used to. I didn't think I'd need to associate you with that." Jerome looked at her feet, scuffing his shoes against each other, jamming his hands in his pockets. _I didn't think about that. What _will_ I tell them?_

"I might not tell them," Jerome said quietly.

"You won't be able to hide it forever," Caitlyn replied, biting her lip. Jerome looked up, eyes shining.

"Then I'll cherish every moment before that."

* * *

"A broken rib, broken wrist, concussion, fractured rib, broken cheekbone. Mitchell, it's simply unacceptable," Mr DeCosta said, setting down the phone in its cradle and making his hands into a steeple. Mitch stared at the desk, not speaking. _Why did Preston have to do his part so quickly?_

"Mr Franco's parents aren't pressing criminal charges because of your age, but they will make you pay for the medical bills. And they are… _costly_," Mr DeCosta sighed. Mitch still said nothing.

"I have defended you for many years, Mitchell. You've been passed by many a suspension and detention, not to mention a fair amount of expulsions," Mr DeCosta said. "I can't keep protecting you from your actions. You're going to need to step up to the plate."

"It's not my fault," Mitch said lamely, knowing fully well it was his fault. "He pushed it too far."

"I know the subject of your mother is a sensitive topic, Mitchell. But the length of his injuries… that is more than what would've been, in a word, okay. And according to Miss Howell and Mr Aresment told me you attacked Mr Franco before what would be deemed necessary. And none of it can be put down to self-defence," Mr DeCosta explained. Mitch looked up angrily.

"I don't care if you expel me."

"I just might," Mr DeCosta warned.

"It's not going to affect me. I don't need to be here anyway. There's no point," Mitch huffed, crossing his arms. Mr DeCosta's brow creased, and his hands folded over each other neatly.

"Those words could be put down as suicidal. Do you have anything you need to talk about? Should I arrange for the School Counsellor to see you?"

"I needed to talk about ten years ago. No one was there then, so you can stick your School Counsellor up your ass," Mitch snapped.

"Mind your language," Mr DeCosta said, sniffing.

"That isn't your biggest concern right now."

"Mitchell, you are over-reacting. I know your life isn't the best and that you've had more than your fair share of unnecessary problems-"

"Unnecessary problems?" Mitch said, voice rising in pitch as he stood up. "_Unnecessary problems?_" as he rose up, his knees bumped the table, knocking over some ornaments on Mr DeCosta's desk.

"Mitchell, please-"

"Stop calling me Mitchell!" Mitch shouted. "It's _Mitch_, for god's sake! Stop calling me _Mitchell_!"

"Mr Hughes!" Mr DeCosta snapped, standing up as well. "Please, behave yourself!" Mitch slumped down in his chair, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. Mr DeCosta straightened his tie and sat himself back down gently. _Prissy idiot. Thinks he's so amazing…_ Mitch watched Mr DeCosta rearrange the things on his desk calmly, righting the fallen picture frames and trinkets made by the younger students in the Primary division of the school. Mitch watched his wordlessly.

"We will be investigating into the origins of these allegations, whether or not they are correct at this time," Mr DeCosta said gravely.

"Whatever," Mitch muttered.

"This is your last chance, Mitchell. One more slip up and you're out," Mr DeCosta said. Mitch stood up and walked to the door.

"Mitchell," Mr DeCosta said, stopping Mitch halfway out. "I hope you know now that no other school will take you." Mitch stood there for a moment, hand resting against the doorframe.

"I can get by," Mitch said solemnly, and he walked out of the room, already dialling Mat.

* * *

Jerome shivered, rubbing his arms. The wind had a bite to it, and Caitlyn sighed, a puff of silver escaping her mouth.

"There weather has been seriously bi-polar for a few weeks," Caitlyn said, voice muffled through her hands as she huffed into them. Jerome jammed is hands into his pockets and kicked a can along the sidewalk, looking up and around at the street.

"I've never been interrogated before," Jerome said to no one, stopping in front of a doll store and leaning against the bricks.

"It was pretty terrifying," Caitlyn agreed, leaning beside him. "I can't believe that Mitch hurt Logan so badly." Jerome had already explained to Caitlyn what went down turning his 'talk'. How Mr DeCosta had gravely listed off Logan's injuries and what the consequences would be for Mitch. Jerome had been silent for the entire thing, mentally turning over every mind-rock. _Why would Zak do this? If it was Zak… who am I kidding? Of course it was Zak. He's the only one I told. No one else knew. And know everyone knows. Why would he do this? _More importantly, his thoughts concerned Mitch. _He kissed me back. Why did I kiss him anyway? I'm pretty sure I like him… well, love. That sounds so weird._

"Jerome!" Caitlyn snapped, clicking her fingers in front of his face. Jerome blinked and looked at Caitlyn.

"Sorry?" he asked distantly.

"Get out of dreamland," Caitlyn said. She pointed across the road and Jerome followed her gaze, not really paying attention. _I told him I loved him and he said it back. Does that mean we're dating or something? I don't know. I've never actually dated anyone before. Maybe Caitlyn knows what to – Oh my god!_

"What the hell is he doing?" Jerome yelled frantically. Caitlyn grabbed his arm and Jerome lurched back, stare fixed on Mitch and Mat. You could see Mat talking casually in a bar through the massive window to Mitch, who was hunched over the bar.

"Do we go in and say something?" Caitlyn asked nervously, biting her thumb and worrying the cuticle.

"I guess we're sorta friends, we should be obligated to," Jerome said, unsure.

"You're technically dating…" Caitlyn pointed out. Jerome's cheeks flushed deeper, already red from the cold.

"We are not!" Jerome mumbled indignantly.

"You both confessed your love," Caitlyn said dramatically, spreading out her arms.

"Why are you talking with a British accent?" Jerome asked, smiling slightly. Caitlyn huffed and stuck her nose up.

"Because it's posh, you uneducated swine!" Caitlyn scoffed, swinging her arms back and forth beside her. Jerome rolled his eyes and looked back over at the bar, squinting to see into the smoky bar.

"I think we should go and see if he's alright," Jerome decided. Caitlyn hugged herself, pulling a face.

"It looks like they're smoking in there, and I'm asthmatic!" Caitlyn complained. Jerome sighed and grabbed her arm, dragging her across the road towards the bar.

* * *

Everything was swaying and Mitch thought Mat was on his left, but he might be on his right.

"You sure you don't want a smoke?" Mat asked, shoving away his drink.

"Nah. I don't wanna," Mitch sighed, the ends of his words blurring together. The bartender looked at him oddly, his eyes narrowing like only know he was doubting that Mitch was twenty-one. Mitch looked at him oddly back, his eyes unwillingly crossing. The bartender scowled and walked over.

"I'll need to see your ID now," he snapped. Mitch fumbled clumsily in his pocket, numb fingers finally finding his car keys. He tossed them onto the table, and the bartender snatched them up. He muttered something under his breath about irresponsible teenagers and then walked away to serve someone else.

"I need to be going," Mat said, looking at the clock. Mitch stared at it, the numbers swimming. He'd been here for an hour, yeah? Or was it days?

"Bah-bye," Mitch mumbled, shaking hands tightening around the drink in front of him. _No wonder dad drinks so much… I can't remember why I was upset anymore. Everything's tilting…_ There was a loud ding and a short argument as Mat left. Mitch looked into his drink and sighed, watching the colours swirl. It was pretty. Like a sunrise that he'd seen recently with someone he couldn't remember. Then there were hands on Mitch's shoulders and he yelped, falling backwards with a crash.

"Shit, he's heavy," a voice muttered, pushing him to the side. Unwillingly, tears sprung to Mitch's eyes.

"I'm a horrible person," he moaned sadly.

"Not really," the voice replied. Mitch felt himself rising up, hands under his arms, his feet unsteady and stumbling, taking him forward against the counter.

"No! You can't have any more!" another voice snapped.

"But it takes away the pain!" Mitch cried, snatching for it.

"Jerome, stop him!" the other voice yelled. The name made Mitch's arms go slack and he realised someone was holding him up.

"Oh my god, he's the one who stopped it," Mitch sobbed. "He's the one who stopped it and then the other one brought it back!"

"What's he rambling on about?" the other voice asked.

"I have no idea! Help me get him into this booth!" the first voice said.

"I ruin everything," Mitch said mournfully. "I hurt Tory and I hurt Jerome and I hurt everyone and I nearly killed him!" Mitch's words were slurring together and the light above him was spinning in lazy circle. Like a shark slowly coming for him.

"Mitch, you need to calm down," the second voice said soothingly. "Please?"

"It hurts," Mitch sobbed. "I want him to stop it!"

"Stop what?" the first voice said, exasperated. "Just tell me!"

"Maybe there's someone we can call on his phone," the second voice said. "To help him." Mitch stared at the talking people in front of him. They looked familiar but he couldn't place their names. All he could hear now was a rushing in his ears and the fact the light was too bright. Hands rifled in his pockets but Mitch stayed limp.

"I don't care anymore!" he slurred, flapping his wrist uselessly in their direction. "Take whatever you… want…"

"Call that number!" the second one said, gesturing to the shiny object in the first one's hands. There was a few clicking noises. Mitch saw a flash of light as the second one moved and then lost all sense of reality, falling into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Thanks for coming," Jerome sighed as the woman bundled into the bar, wrapped up in a coat. She looked flustered and rushed over to the unconscious Mitch, who was still muttering something about knives.

"Oh god," the woman sighed. "Thank you so much for calling me. I'll take care of him."

"Are you his mum?" Caitlyn asked softly, and the woman stilled.

"I wish I was," she said finally. She smiled, cheeks flushing from the sudden blast of cold from the door opening again. She thrust out her hand and tilted her head. "I'm Victoria, by the way. Call me Tory."

"You're a waitress at Bonnie's, right?" Jerome asked, shaking it quickly.

"Sure am," Victoria said with a laugh as she helped Mitch up. Mitch didn't open his eyes and Jerome wanted to look away. In this moment he was weak and vulnerable and on the verge of losing it. Jerome felt like he shouldn't be intruding.

"So are you the boy Mitch talks about? Jerome or Jake, I can't remember," she said. Jerome's brow furrowed.

"He talks about me?" Jerome said in surprise.

"Oh, he used to come and talk about you all the time. About how he thought you were annoying but 'pretty alright'," Victoria laughed. Then her smile dropped. "But we had a fight earlier and this is the first I've seen of him since Thursday."

"Oh. Sorry about that," Jerome said. Victoria smiled and then started to guide Mitch out.

"Thank you for this. I'll make sure he thanks you!" Victoria called over her shoulder. Jerome smiled and then she walked outside. Jerome stared at the door and Caitlyn looked out the window, watching Victoria walk, Mitch's arm swung over her shoulder.

"She should be his mother," Caitlyn sighed. "And then maybe he'd understand he isn't so alone."

* * *

**Not much to say. Thanks for reading :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello Nerdians and welcome to Chapter 15! Everybody do the milestone dance! *does the sprinkler* okay. Pretend that never happened. Anyways, I'm sorry for not updating as much. Exams and junk and the fact I'm too lazy to write. You know how it is... I think. Plus I've been on this Creatures Hype and it's just saddening. My phone is now full of photos of the guys and then there's just this section of ImmortalAnex, Jemus and ImmortalFox. I totally blame my internet friend Time Bomb for that. **

**And I know I've mentioned this before, but if you haven't already go check out XxFallenTributexX on DeviantART. She is the fabulous person who designed the cover and she's also just the worlds most awesome internet biggums you could ask for. She is just... awesomely fabulous and so totally not Detroit. (Sarcasm with Seamus reference there. Sorry I'm not sorry.)**

**So yeah... lets just get started.**

* * *

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

Tuesday morning was tense. Everyone was back at school and rumours were spreading quickly about Mitch and Jerome, not to mention Logan. And Zak was nowhere to be seen. Jerome was too nervous to call him and didn't feel like confrontation. He had to deal with enough of it now.

"Jerome? You have to stop zoning out," Caitlyn said, snapping her fingers in his face. Jerome looked up and sighed.

"I'm sorry. I'm just worried," Jerome mumbled, picking leaves off his jeans. It was chilly and autumn was in full swing. Sitting under the trees in the playground meant getting covered in leaves. Preston leaned back against the tree and looked up, watching the leaves swirl down gently, light catching on the brilliant shades of orange and red.

"The bell rings in twenty minutes," Preston said tersely. "Where's Mitch?"

"Probably hung-over," Caitlyn snorted, sitting down heavily in between Preston and Jerome, crossing her legs. Her pocket buzzed and Preston hopped to it.

"Must of done something Right by Reliant K," he said proudly. Caitlyn whistled as she pressed her phone to her ear.

"You're getting good," she said, and then she turned her attention to her phone. After a minute she pushed her phone back into her pocket.

"Sydney will be late," she said. "But she said she saw Mat on his way." Caitlyn had told Sydney about yesterday's encounter and because Sydney lived in the same area as Mat, she looked out for him occasionally. She said it was to make sure Mitch wasn't with him. _I hope she doesn't secretly like him. That would be weird. Wait… I never really took Mat into this. I like Mitch and we might be sorta-dating, what will he do? _A pack of girls was slowly making its way over to the tree the three were seated under, and Caitlyn seemed to recognise them. She glared at them and Preston sighed.

"Hello, _Caitlyn_," the lead girl said sarcastically. "What on earth are you doing with the social outcast?"

"Buzz off, Haley," Caitlyn snapped. _Haley. This is Haley Branson, right? The supposed "bitch with a dick" Sydney told me about? _

"Oh, I'm just here to make sure you and your boyfriend don't get dragged in the muck," Haley said with fake sincerely. The two blondes standing behind Haley giggled.

"Why are we defending the bitch? We should just rescue Preston and go!" the curly blonde whined.

"Kiara, shut _up_," Haley snapped. Then suddenly she was all sweet again. _Kiara Farmer. The one who Zak told. And that one must be Clair whatever her last name is._

"I don't need any rescuing, thanks," Preston said politely. Haley pouted, twisting some of her brunette locks around her fingers.

"Oh, but Preston!" she gushed. "It would be a shame for you to lose your standing. Peter doesn't want his friends to be seen with… _him_." Haley looked scornfully at Jerome and Jerome scowled. _What? It's not like I'm an alien!_

"Funny that, since I know Peter sucks off James every Friday in gym," Caitlyn said sweetly. Haley's baby-blue eyes widened ridiculously far and Kiara gasped.

"You're disgusting!" she cried, her manicured nails digging into her palms as her fists clenched. "My boyfriend isn't gay like that idiot!" Jerome winced and looked down. _Thanks. That's really nice. What did I do to you, anyway?_

"You just ask James why he's never had a girlfriend," Caitlyn said, rolling her eyes.

"I can't believe you would accuse my boyfriend of something like that!" Haley said. She looked at Jerome, her eyes burning. "The bible says gays will burn in hell, and that's right where you're going."

"Come on, Haley," Preston sighed, standing up. "That part of the bible is just Chinese whispers. It's an opinion. God loves everyone and everything, no matter what. Love is love."

"You support him?" Haley cried, flabbergasted. She folded her arms and took a step back. "Father Fitzgerald would be ashamed!"

"I don't really care," Preston said, matter-of-fact. "I don't believe in that. God wouldn't turn on His creation just because he likes the same gender."

"I feel left out because I'm not that religious," Caitlyn whispered in Jerome's ear. Jerome forced a smile, but on the inside he was worried. _Mum doesn't believe in that, does she? I mean, she's one of the most religious people in our family. She won't throw me out because I'm… gay and stuff, right? _

"You're just as bad as them!" Haley yelled, turning around and marching off, her posse of girls in close proximity. Preston sat back down and his shoulders slumped.

"Thanks for standing up to her and all," Jerome mumbled.

"No problem," Preston sighed. "I don't believe in the whole 'Homosexuals will burn' thing anyway."

"My parents are really religious," Jerome worried. "Do you think they'll throw me out?"

"I don't think they will. If they're good parents they'll understand, but if they believe in that… hey, you can always come live with me," Preston joked. Jerome smiled and Caitlyn squeezed his hand.

"Hey, you'll be fine," she said comfortingly. "I'm sure they'll be fine with it." Jerome looked at her and she smiled, eyes sparkling.

"Hey? What did I miss?" a voice yelled. Jerome looked up to see Sydney jogging over. She smiled and dropped her back down, sitting down with a thump in front of them and crossing her legs

"Haley Branson," Caitlyn said rolling her eyes. Sydney glowered.

"That damn-"

"Bloody bitch with a dick who acts like she owns the world and holds the power of every male?"

"Yes! How did you know?" Sydney gasped delightedly. Caitlyn sighed.

"Because that's how you always refer to her," Caitlyn explained. Sydney looked confused.

"I do?"

"Yeah… pretty much," Caitlyn laughed. Sydney looked at Jerome and he nodded, shrugging.

"Sorry, it's true," he smiled. Sydney huffed and crossed her arms, the black beaded bracelets on her wrists clicking together loudly. There was a brief moment of silence and then another person sat down silently beside Sydney. Everyone stared at Mitch, who didn't speak. He shoved his hood off and glared at everyone.

"What?" he spat.

"Now, if you're going to be in the inner sanctum of cool people you need to be nicer," Caitlyn tutted. Preston sorted and she shot a look at him.

"The 'Inner sanctum of cool people'?" Preston chuckled. "Sounds sophisticated."

"Because only the best get in, darling," Caitlyn purred, linking arms with him. Preston rolled his eyes playfully and shoved her away lightly, pulling his arm away.

"If the cool people talk with stupid accents, count me out," he joked. "I couldn't act if my life depended on it." Jerome snuck a look at Mitch while the two bantered, and their eyes locked. He smirked weakly and Jerome gave him a half-smile. The bell rang from the school and Caitlyn stood up, grabbing Jerome's arm and yanking him up.

"Shall we go, good sir?" she said elegantly.

"We shall," Jerome said, in his best accent. Sydney pulled a face.

"You should be with Preston in the 'can't act' club," she said. Jerome put a look of utter betrayal on his face and Sydney laughed, stepping to his right and wrapping her arm through his. Preston got up and linked up with Caitlyn and Mitch sighed deeply, rolling his eyes as he stood and looped his arm through Sydney's. The group didn't skip a beat at his unusual behaviour and started walking. Well, Sydney and Caitlyn skipped, singing 'We're off to see the Wizard" loudly and off key.

* * *

The girl's singing didn't help Mitch's headache. _Why did I insist on coming to school? _Mitch had adamantly protested to Tory – who had stayed at his house overnight – that he was fine and could go. Mainly, he didn't want to face her, because a talk would be unavoidable. And the fact his dad hadn't come home yet was putting Tory on edge. She was honestly worried for him. Mitch was rudely pulled from his thoughts by Sydney freeing herself from Mitch's arm.

"I'm going this way," she chirped.

"And I'm going this way," Preston said, gesturing over his shoulder with his thumb.

"Same," Caitlyn said, pulling her arm from Jerome but staying attached to Preston. Everyone said their goodbyes and then walked off. Mitch trailed after Sydney quietly as she talked to Jerome animatedly.

"Hurry up, we'll be late," Jerome called over his shoulder. Mitch nodded absently, speeding up slightly. Jerome grabbed his arm and yanked him forward, making Mitch yelp in surprise. Suddenly he found himself wedged between Jerome and Sydney, who continued their talk and often asked Mitch to chime in with his opinion. Mitch just grunted, not even trying to follow their high-speed conversation. Really, their sudden change in attitude irked him. Just last week they'd been scared of him and now they were… friends? He didn't know the exact term. _Acquaintances_? _Allies_? People you nod to in the street? _I guess… if we're being technically, I've kissed Jerome twice _and_ said I love him. I think that means we're dating or something. I should ask… who exactly? I can't ask Jerome or Caitlyn or Sydney or Preston or Mat or Dad or… well shit, this got depressing fast._

"Mitch!" Jerome said, waving his hand in front of Mitch's face. "Come on! This is your homeroom, right?" Mitch blinked in confusion and then nodded.

"Uh, yeah," he stammered. "It is."

"Well, see you at recess I guess," Jerome said awkwardly. Mitch rubbed the back of his neck and gave him a half-smile. _Do I like… give him a high-five? Kiss him? God, do something so this isn't awkward!_

"Recess," Mitch said softly. Jerome sighed and then Sydney grabbed his arm and started dragging Jerome away.

"Come on, we're gonna get in trouble!" she whined .She gave Mitch a quick wave, smiling. "See you later Mitch!" Mitch waved half-heartedly and Jerome smiled slightly as Sydney yanked him into a room. It wasn't until the bell rang and the flood emptied out that Mitch realised he was really, really late.

* * *

Haley and her followers were crowded around four tables, some sitting on them and some around them. A few boys mingled through the group and Caitlyn sat quietly, waiting for the teachers to arrive. Preston had gone to talk to his friends Chris Board and Will Emerson, still managing to fit in the 'popular' crowd after all. Caitlyn put her head in her hand and sighed, tracing a swirl on the table. Then a shadow loomed over them and Caitlyn looked up to see Preston, Chris and Will. Chris gave her a three-fingered wave and Will nodded in her direction.

"Caitie, have you meet Chris and Will?" Preston asked, sliding into the seat beside her.

"Ah… briefly," Caitlyn stuttered, surprised. Will pulled a chair out and sat on it backwards, arms resting on the top and legs straddling the seat base. Chris sat on the table in front of her own and swung his legs back and forth, shoe tips dusting the floor.

"Well… this is Chris and Will," Preston said with a small smile.

"Sup," Will said, flicking his hair out of his eyes. Caitlyn was taken aback. _Wow. His voice is deep._

"How's it going?" Chris said happily, reaching over and shaking her hand energetically.

"Just fine," Caitlyn said, brightening up. "It's nice to meet you."

"Same," Chris said, eyes glittering. "Preston talks about you all the time and we had to see the real deal before we could believe him." Will gave a short nod in affirmation. Caitlyn looked at Preston as he blushed. She smirked and punched his shoulder playfully.

"That's sweet," she laughed. "I knew you were a true softie."

"Except he can't admit it in front of his friends," Chris chuckled. "They'd call him a pussy."

"Football is a manly-ish game," Will said seriously. "They'd rip him to shreds."

"Don't call them men, they're all idiots," Chris sighed, rolling his eyes. "With that whole Mitch and… Jack or whoever it is thing. They act like it's the end of the world, saying that God would disapprove and they should be taken care of to 'rid the world of gay scum'."

"His name is Jerome and-wait, you don't side with them?" Caitlyn said, surprised. She straightened up and Chris smiled, cocking his head to the left.

"Of course not!" Chris laughed. "They're brutes. I'm in it for the game, not to be all popular and a chick magnet or whatever it is Footballers are meant to be. They use what they get from it to manipulate everyone around them." He looked over his shoulder and flashed Caitlyn a cheeky look.

"You see her?" he whispered, pointing to a short brunette standing beside James. "Addison Chambers. I talked to her last week and she told me she was dead-set against James, said he was an idiotic thug. This week, James offers her these really expensive earrings and asks her out. He offered her a lunch with his friends… now she's drooling all over him. Word is the earrings were five dollars from Wal-Mart and at this lunch with the popular kid he's going to dump her in front of everyone."

"Why?" Caitlyn said, horrified. Chris leaned closer, eyes flashing.

"Because Peter told him too," he said softly. "They're all his robots. And I know that James actually really likes Addison. That's horrible enough, and there hasn't been enough time for rumours to spread about the poor girl. Imagine what Peter will do when the gay rumours reach their peak."

"They'll be chewed up and spat out in the most vicious and publicly humiliating way," Will said glumly. Caitlyn was shocked and felt terrible for Addison now that she knew her fate.

"I spoke to her last week in Language," Caitlyn sighed. "She's really nice. She doesn't deserve to be treated that way."

"Well, there's nothing we can do 'bout it," Chris said, matter-of-fact.

"Who says?" Caitlyn retorted, going to stand up. Preston grabbed her wrist and yanked her back down. Caitlyn looked at him, hurt, and Preston hugged her tightly.

"I know you want to help her, and that's the sweetest thing ever, but you just can't," he whispered in her ear. "They'll kill you."

"They can't hold a threat over the whole school just because they're popular!" Caitlyn protested. "We can't let them to that to Addison _or_ Mitch and Jerome!"

"They've been doing it all their lives," Will said sadly. "They can do whatever they want to this school and get away with it." Caitlyn looked over at Addison and saw the way she clung to James. She sighed in frustration and growled.

"Well… it's her fault for falling for the earrings anyway!" Caitlyn snapped.

"Caitlyn," Chris said softly, "She doesn't even have her ears pierced. She just wanted to be popular for once." Caitlyn stared at him, jaw dropping, and then the bell rang and Caitlyn was left to think about what would happen to Jerome and Mitch as homeroom dragged on.

* * *

Jerome sighed as Mrs Ford continued to drone on with school announcements.

"And there will be a notice going out today to parents about recent events…" Mrs Ford said robotically. Jerome sat up straighter. _What? Oh god, is that about me and Mitch? That would be mortifying… and then mum and dad would find out! _"The school would appreciate it if you didn't open it and gave it straight to your parents. In other news, the excursion for Year Nine Geography classes has been postponed due to flash flooding in the area." Sydney looked over at Jerome and rolled her eyes, pretending to choke herself. Jerome hid his laugh at his palm, pretending his was tucking it away in his pocket for later. That is what his dad had told him to do if you wanted to laugh at silly times. Tuck away your laugh and wait until you're alone, and then let it all out. He said to do that same thing to your worries. _Yeah, because hiding the fact I'm terrified I'll be disowned will totally work. My parents read me like a book. _There was a click and the door opened. Jerome didn't looked up.

"You're late," Mrs Ford snapped.

"Sorry. I had to finalise some things with the Principal," a painfully familiar voice said. Jerome's head snapped up and his stomach rolled. A combination of fear, anger and sadness. Sydney stared in shock, face similar to Jerome's, as Zak walked down the aisle to his seat.

He didn't say a word.

* * *

**Okay. So did you like it? Total bombshell there, because ZAK IS BACK BABY! (Hey that rhymed!) I hope you enjoyed!**

**Also, tell me what you think about me writing a Apocalypse story. It would probably be ImmortalFox or ImmortalAnex in the background because... why not? Soooo with that out of the way... yeah. Thanks for reading :)**

**P.S: I have Nobs 4 Lyf on repeat. I know the language is horrible but... damn dude! It's a good song! DON'T JUDGE MEEEEEEE**

**PP.S or or whatever: If someone could tell me which Update Time it is where Eddie and Aleks dance I will love you forever! It's totally not because Aleks shirtless is hot... pfft... why would you think that... *nervous laughter***


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello there Nerdians! Welcome to... chapter sixteen of Collision Course. Wow, we've got far! Thank you so much for your reviews on the last chapter, I especially loved Xenac's... that made me laugh too hard dude!**

**Please enjoy this new chapter, I had fun writing it :)**

* * *

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

Recess came and Jerome stood up abruptly. Caitlyn looked across the room at him and raised an eyebrow. Jerome jammed his textbook in his bag and walked across the room to her.

"Zak is here," he said calmly. Caitlyn immediately scowled and shoved her books in her backpack, slinging it over her shoulder.

"Let's go find him them," she growled. The two stormed out and walked down the hallway, people avoiding them and muttering in each other's ears. Jerome ignored them, finding his way to Zak's locker. He knew the path by heart. Up ahead, Jerome saw Zak at his locker and he stopped suddenly. Caitlyn ran into his back, letting out an 'oof'.

"I don't think I can," Jerome whispered. Caitlyn shoved is back and glared at him.

"You can do it," Caitlyn said. Jerome took a deep breath and then marched up to Zak, grabbing his shoulder and swinging him around. Zak's eyes widened and he took a step back in surprise, backing against the lockers. Jerome's hands formed fists and he held his arms to his sides, trying not to punch him, fury burning in his eyes.

'How could you?" Jerome yelled. "I _trusted_ you! You're the _only_ _one_ I told because I thought I could trust you! You even said I could! I thought we were best friends, you little mother fu-"

"Jerome!" Zak snapped. "Just don't! You're going to embarrass yourself."

"Too late for that!" Caitlyn growled, walking up and standing beside Jerome. "You did that for him!"

"What did I do to deserve this?" Jerome hissed, taking a step closer to Zak. Zak didn't recoil, staring steadily at him.

"You completely focused on him!" Zak exploded. "You left me behind and suddenly it was _Mitch this, Mitch that_! We were meant to stick with each other and you just didn't!"

"So what, you did this because you were jealous?" Jerome shouted. "I can't believe you! I can have more than one friend, for god's sake! It doesn't have to be all about you!"

"You're a bitch, you know that? Acting like your life is over? What about me? I doubt you'll even want to hang out with me anymore," Zak sniffed. Jerome shoved his shoulders angrily, shoving him back against the wall.

"Damn right I won't, you selfish bastard!" Jerome spat.

"You're going to burn in hell!" Zak screamed, shoving Jerome back.

"You're a fricking Atheist, what does it even matter to you!" Jerome shouted back. A small crowd was forming around the two, reminding Jerome of last Thursday.

"People who abandon their friends don't deserve anything!"

"You're a selfish, self-absorbed prick; I can't believe I was even friends with you for so long!"

"Well don't come crying to me when you're parents throw you out, you gay freak!" Zak screeched. Jerome stilled, his hands dropping .Caitlyn took a step forward and held up her fist.

"You take that back, bastard," Caitlyn growled. "Or you will regret _ever_ messing with Jerome."

"You're meant to be my friend," Zak hissed.

"I'm not friends with anyone who ever say something like that to someone who trusted them with their biggest secret. You're just an idiotic bitch and if anyone's going to hell, it's you," Caitlyn said. Zak looked shocked and Jerome felt grim satisfaction.

"You know what? He isn't even worth it," Jerome said, grabbing Caitlyn's arm and pulling her back. "Why waste our time?" Jerome turned his back and started to walk, but the final blow was whispered, echoing through the hall to Jerome despite the noise:

"I hope you end up alone, just like you were before I pulled you out of the fricking gutter," Zak hissed. Jerome stopped and took a deep breath. _I'm not taking this shit any more. _Jerome turned around calmly and walked back to Zak. He studied him for a moment, before punching him hard in the chest. Zak folded and Jerome kicked him hard. Warm hands closed around Jerome's wrist and he looked up, all the rage leaving him.

"Leave him," Mitch said softly. "Forget about him." Jerome looked at Zak as he groaned, leaning against the lockers and holding his chest.

"Useless bitch," Zak spat.

"You're a worthless liar!" Jerome yelled. Mitch's grip tightened on Jerome and pulled him back further. Caitlyn looked like she would swoop in and finish off Zak, and Mitch sighed.

"Caitlyn. C'mon," Mitch snapped. Caitlyn looked up at him and shot a final glare at Zak.

"I can't believe I ever thought you were my friend," Caitlyn growled, before stalking off after Mitch, who dragged Jerome after him. Jerome was heartbroken, furious and felt utterly shattered. Jerome felt tears beginning to well in his eyes and stared down the hall at Zak, who glared back. People in the hall stared, equally split between Jerome, Mitch and Caitlyn or Zak. Whispers echoed in the hall and Mitch yanked Jerome into an empty classroom, Caitlyn close behind. Jerome looked blankly at the door and he finally broke. He let out a sob and Caitlyn stared at him. Caitlyn looked at Mitch and Mitch sighed, wrapping him up in a surprisingly gentle hug.

"Hey, it's alright dude," Mitch muttered. "He was a bitch anyway."

"That's not the point," Jerome whispered into Mitch's shoulder. "I trusted him as my best friend and he just brought everything back. Everything he promised not the say and he said it. I didn't do anything to him to deserve this."

"Man up, idiot," Mitch growled. "Everyone loses friends and sometimes it's messy and it sucks. But everyone has to go through it." Jerome laughed, still crying. He pulled away and Mitch scowled.

"Don't get your snot on me," he mumbled. Jerome wiped his nose self-consciously and sagged against the wall, looking down. Caitlyn walked up to him and hugged him tight.

"Don't worry, Jerome. Zak doesn't get to be in the Inner Sanctum of Cool People," Caitlyn said seriously. Jerome snorted and, embarrassingly, a snot bubble popped. Caitlyn reeled away and shrieked.

"Ew! Ew!" she giggled. Jerome rolled his eyes but still blushed. Caitlyn smiled and Jerome blinked a few times to clear his eyes.

"All better?" Caitlyn asked. Jerome sighed but nodded.

"Yeah, pretty much," Jerome said. "Thanks. Both of you." Caitlyn smiled and Mitch grunted, crossing his arms.

"Look, Zak's a dick and what he did was totally stupid," Caitlyn said. "So let's forget about him and start a new life or something!"

"But we can't exactly. Zak's basically ruined my life and now everyone's going to laugh and whisper and… it's not fun," Jerome said, letting out a long breath.

"We can move to Canada," Mitch said gruffly. Jerome laughed.

"Yeah, because I'm sure that will work."

* * *

Mitch stared silently at his locker, not blinking. As people walked past they snickered and Mitch's fists unwillingly clenched. He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them it wasn't gone. Someone had written 'gay fag' in capital letters across the front of his locker. In _permanent marker._

"Screw me," Mitch murmured. Mitch calmly opened his locker and tried not to punch it. Mitch looked at the books he had in his locker, very aware of the fact there were already dents in the inside of the locker. _I didn't realise that my fists had that much experience in the art of… punching things._ Mitch grabbed his language book and turned around, nearly having a heart attack when he realised he was face to face with a girl. She smiled at him and poked his chest.

"You sir, are pretty cool," she said happily. Mitch stared at her, his mouth slightly agape. She flicked some of her dark hair out of her eyes, and Mitch realised it was blue.

"Uh…" Mitch trailed off, still surprised.

"Thank you so _much_ for beating up Logan," she said with a bright smile. "He totally deserved it. He's a… a douchedick. Or something else fabulously idiotic." She shifted away and Mitch took her in quickly: she had a batman shirt and was holding a bright yellow and black cap in her hand and for some reason red paint was splattered on the knees of her jeans, reminding Mitch vaguely of blood.

"Um… your welcome?" Mitch muttered questioningly. She smiled again and pushed her hair back again. She stuck out her hand and cocked her head to the left.

"I'm Hayli, by the way," she said. Mitch shook her hand out hesitantly and the girl – Hayli – laughed.

"You look so scared," she giggled.

"I've never been approached before," Mitch said guardedly, waiting for her attitude to change. But Hayli just laughed softly.

"Things have been changing for you lately, huh?' she said. She didn't wait for Mitch to reply. "Well, if things keep going at this rate, the entire school will hate your guts." Mitch raised an eyebrow and sighed but she grinned.

"But some people are going to love you," she winked, poking his chest again. "Just be nicer and you'll have more people on your side than you think." With that that, she flicked her hair over her shoulder and walked away, almost skipping. Mitch watched her walk away, not even bothering to hide his surprise. When he closed his locker he stared at the words printed on the red metal, tracing his fingers over the slightly raised bumps from where his fists had previously beat against it from inside. Slowly, he smiled, and then he turned and walked down the hall with his book.

_Still smiling._

* * *

"After school, after school, it's really after school!" Caitlyn sang. Sydney groaned and beat her head against the dashboard in front of her.

"Oh my god, shut up!" she yelled, voice muffled. Preston laughed from the backseat.

"I dunno, maybe she can write the Inner Sanctum of Cool People's theme song," Preston said. Caitlyn glared at him in the rear-view mirror.

"Who said you were even in the Inner Sanctum of Cool People?" she said, voice low. Preston raised an eyebrow.

"I get to be in by default, seeing as my girlfriend runs it," he smirked. Caitlyn stuck her tongue out at him and he copied. Taking her eyes from the mirror and looking out at the road, Caitlyn got a glimpse of Mitch reflected in the windscreen.

"So are you guys dating now? Can we make up a name for you and Preston?" Jerome asked.

"I'd ask you the same thing," Sydney laughed.

"Well, Preston is pretty awesome but I'll pass," Jerome said, deadpan, and Sydney snorted.

"Ooo, point for Mitch," Sydney giggled. Mitch rolled his eyes but smiled.

"I feel offended," Preston pouted. Jerome patted his shoulder and smiled.

"I know, I know. I'm awesome. But you still have Caitlyn, and she's… alright," Jerome said, shrugging. Caitlyn's jaw dropped, forming an 'o'.

"Oh damn!" Sydney laughed.

"'Alright'? Just 'alright'? Oh, if I wasn't driving…" Caitlyn grumbled. Preston laughed and Jerome joined in, Sydney's hilarious laugh mingling with their… semi-normal laughter. Mitch was silent.

"So, Mitch," Caitlyn said conversationally when they had quieted. "When are you going to tell your dad about Jerome?"

"Hopefully before they go at it," Sydney chimed in.

"No sex in the house. It's a rule dad put in place years ago," Mitch muttered. Jerome's face was bright red and Sydney was dying of laughter.

"Wow," Preston said, shaking his head. "Just… wow."

"I know, Mitch socially interacting is rare," Caitlyn replied, making Sydney laugh harder.

"Are you all ignoring… what he said…?" she gasped, face red from laughing. Caitlyn stared at her.

"Well, seeing as my life isn't a sexual innuendo I'm being mature," Caitlyn said plainly. Sydney rolled her eyes and then wiped them, sighing.

"God, that was hilarious."

"Really? I couldn't tell," Preston said drily. Sydney snorted and Caitlyn reached out, covering her mouth.

"Don't start laughing again, you sound like a dying donkey," Caitlyn ordered. Sydney licked her hand and Caitlyn shrieked, whipping her hand away

"Focus on driving, please!" Jerome called as the car swerved slightly.

"But she's being mean, dad!" Caitlyn pouted.

"Oh god, Jerome is a father? What hell have you been living in?" Mitch muttered. Sydney rested her head on the dashboard and laughed silently.

"I think we're killing Sydney," Caitlyn commented.

"Probably," Jerome shrugged. There was a quick silence, interrupted by Preston.

"So… uh… what happened today? All I heard about was a fight," he said awkwardly. Caitlyn's heart sunk. _Preston, why did you have to bring it up? Why? _

"Zak happened," Mitch grumbled.

"Oh. What exactly happened?" Preston asked. Caitlyn mentally screamed at him to shut up.

"Jerome faced up to him and yelled at him. Shit went down, and I had to drag Jerome away before he beat up Zak," Mitch said, a hint of pride in his voice. Jerome laughed.

"You make it sound like he was defenceless," Jerome said. "It didn't happen like that."

"Of course he wasn't defenceless!" Mitch snorted. "If he sat on you, you would've been a goner!" all the seriousness evaporated as everyone dissolved into laughter. _Good job, Mitch. Good job._ Caitlyn smiled as they pulled into town. Caitlyn drove to Bonnie's in silence while Mitch and Sydney bantered mercilessly, Preston often chiming in with a stupid comment while Jerome laughed like an idiot. When Caitlyn parked and everyone climbed out, she knew everyone was finally friends.

* * *

"For god's sake, it isn't that hard!" Jerome huffed, stealing Preston's pencil. "You multiple the width by the height and then length and put centimetres squared at the end of it!"

"I feel so inferior," Preston whimpered. "Please, great math god, do all my homework for me."

"Heck no," Jerome said. The group was squashed up in one booth at Bonnie's breakfast and Lunch – now open for dinner! – and was having a group homework session, designed to help each other and resulting in Jerome getting annoyed at Preston's lack of mathematic skill.

"Calm down Jerome, Preston can't help the fact you're smart," Sydney said, picking up her coke and sipping from it quickly. She was hyped up: it was her second can.

"I dare you to crush that against your head when you're finished," Caitlyn challenged. Jerome stared at her, eyes widening. _Don't do this Caitlyn! We all know she'll do it and then she'll probably stab herself!_

"You're on!" Sydney yelled, tipping it back and sculling. Then she held it from the base and smashed it against her forehead. It crunched and crumpled against the force. Everyone laughed and Sydney dropped it as she stood up, putting her hands in the air and dancing. _Oh thank god. _Mitch put a hand against her hip and pushed her away gently.

"Get your ass outta my face," he said as Sydney stumbled slightly, elbow banging against the glass window.

"Oh you know you love it," Sydney said. "You wanna piece of this? Huh? _Huh_?" she sang, wriggling around. Mitch raised an eyebrow.

"Seeing as the guy I like is sitting across from you, no, I don't wanna piece of whatever that is supposed to be," Mitch joked. Sydney sat down, pouting. _Oh, so I guess we're serious about this. If he can say it calmly then it must be serious. Right? _

"Love is in the air," Caitlyn hummed. Jerome shot a look at her and she held her hands up, smiling innocently.

"_What_?"

"Can you feel the love?" Preston said, jabbing his shoulder repeatedly. "Do you feel it? Huh? Huh?"

"Don't steal my line!" Sydney snapped. "Or I'll be forced to sue you!"

"I have ten dollars. Bring it," Preston shot back.

"I'm gonna go at you for all you own!" Sydney said, standing up and putting her hands on the table.

"All I own is ten dollars, a cat and a car," Preston replied.

"Well… I like cats!"

"I thought you said you were allergic to cats?"

"Shut up Jerome! And I'm allergic to dogs," Sydney huffed, sitting back down heavily and sniffing. "Some friend you are."

"It's the best friend's job to remember every fact about you," Jerome answered.

"Good point," Sydney said, shrugging. "I promote you to Good Friend."

"Oh, what an honour," Jerome said, rolling his eyes.

"Initiation ceremony: begin!" Sydney said grandly. Caitlyn hummed lowly, tapping her fingers on the table. Preston joined in and even Mitch. Sydney stood up, picking up her sandwich and unwrapping it with emotion while Caitlyn, Preston and Mitch provided the soundtrack. And then Caitlyn put the sandwich on Jerome's head. Caitlyn thumped the table with her fists and shot up, raising her arms.

"It is complete!" Caitlyn yelled. A waitress cried out for her to be quiet or kicked out, and Caitlyn fell down, laughing. She put her head on Mitch's shoulder and cried with laughter. Mitch looked surprised but went with it, patting the top of her head.

"It's okay. We have immunity from being kicked because I have… _connections_," he said with a smirk.

"I thought the rumours of sex trade were false," Sydney giggled. Mitch snorted and Caitlyn laughed harder, clawing at Mitch's shirt as she slid off the seat under the table. Preston shook his head lightly and Jerome looked at Mitch. He winked and Jerome smiled, cheeks colouring. _Huh. I guess having a screwed up life won't be so bad if I get to spend it with him._

* * *

**I decided to end it on a fluffier note :) Oh, and Hayli is a cameo of ProKrastinat0r's OC. She's an awesome person and I promised her a treat for doing the cover... **

**Well! I hope you enjoyed the... humour of the chapter, and I'm pleased to announce Collision Course has surpassed 70 reviews! Thank you for this milestone, I'm happy to share it with you guys! Oh, and we've passed 3 000 views! BLAHHHHH! It's so totally amazing, thank you so much! *insert love here***

**On that point, thanks for reading and I hope to see you next time! **


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello Nerdians! Welcome to chapter 17 of Collision Course! You know we're one review away from getting 80? **

* * *

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

On Wednesday afternoon, Mitch came home to see his dad at the kitchen counter, holding a knife over a carrot. Mitch stood in the doorway and watched his dad viciously mutilate the carrot, leaving it a chopped mess and unrecognisable.

"What did it do to you?" Mitch grumbled, dropping his bag and walking over to the fridge to get a drink. Paul muttered something unintelligible and Mitch froze. _Shit. He's drunk. _Mitch casually set the can of coke on the table and sat down awkwardly.

"So… I think I'll be heading back out-"

"No!" Paul slurred. "We've gotta… have a family dinner…" Mitch stared as Paul swayed against the counter, knife gripped unsteadily in his hand.

"How drunk are you on a scale of one to ten?" Mitch asked uncertainty. Paul stared at him blankly, eyes cloudy.

"Uh… fork," Paul mumbled, picking a dirty fork out of the sink and holding it up triumphantly.

"Yeah… bye," Mitch said, standing back up and walking to the doorway, scooping up his bag. A hand closed around his bicep and yanked him back. Mitch stumbled and fell back against the table, bag falling and splitting open.

"I said we're going to have a family dinner," Paul growled, face red. Mitch was still. _Don't flinch. Don't. _

"Sure," Mitch replied, voice steel. _Show no emotion._

"Sit," Paul slurred, gesturing at the chair loosely, the knife still in his hand. Mitch walked to the chair but didn't take his eyes off the knife. Paul turned back around and stumbled against the counter, knocking a bag of rice over, hand coming dangerously close to the burning pot on the stove. Paul hummed tunelessly as he poured rice messily into the pot, most of it missing.

"Dad, if you're drunk you shouldn't be-"

"Shut up!" Paul roared, turning around quickly and throwing the bag at Mitch. It hit him heavily in the chest and Mitch grabbed the table to avoid toppling back. The table shrieked across the floor as it dragged, leaving a small cloud of dust. The bout of rage was over as soon as it started and Paul turned back sloppily, leaving Mitch to gasp, eyes wide. The bag knocked all the air out of him.

"Tell me what's going on in your life," Paul said, grabbing a bottle of hot sauce and squinting at it read the label. Mitch swallowed thickly. _He's fork drunk. I should just spill everything and he won't even remember it._

"Well…" Mitch started hesitantly. "I found out I might have a sibling or something… and stuff…"

"Interesting!" Paul yelled, slamming the bottle down so hard it smashed, glass flying.

"Could I maybe go… like, see mum or something?" Mitch asked quietly. Paul froze. Mitch stared stonily, fear churning in his stomach as Paul twisted around slowly.

"No!" He screamed. "You can't talk about her! That… walking bag of shit…" Paul snapped.

"Don't say that about mum," Mitch mumbled. Paul slammed his hand down on the table, other hand tightening around the knife. Mitch made a grave mistake: he flinched. Paul roared and stabbed the knife into the table, narrowly missing Mitch's finger. He yanked them back in fright, standing up and stumbling back, nearly slipping on one of his books.

"What did I tell you?" Paul yelled.

"No emotion!" Mitch cried. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it, I-"

"You fricking wimp!" Paul screeched, lurching forward and pushing him weakly against the wall. "Disgrace! Waste of air!"

"Stop," Mitch pleaded. "I said I'm sorry." The sound registered before Mitch realised what had happened. He fell to the side, using the wall to hold him up, hand touching the stinging flesh of his cheek. Paul had slapped him. _Hard_. Mitch looked up at him and saw his face was bright red, insane from the alcohol and fury.

"No emotion and no talking about Willow," Paul growled, words running into each other. Mitch shook his head shakily. Paul pointed at the chair sternly.

"Sit," he hissed. Mitch didn't move, and Paul's face darkened. "_Sit_." Mitch scrambled over to the seat, throwing himself into it, grabbing the edges like it was lifeline. Paul walked unsteadily back to the counter and reached to the right, opening the fridge. He spun around and walked back, shoving a tall brown bottle in front of Mitch.

"Drink it," Paul ordered. Mitch stared at the bottle of beer, looking up at Paul and sighing. He reached out hesitantly and then pulled his hand back.

"No," Mitch whispered, looking down. The room was quiet but electricity charged the air, like the air before the storm.

"Excuse me?" Paul growled. "Did you say _no_?" Mitch looked up, eyes glittering.

"Yeah. I said no," Mitch replied. "I don't want to end up like you."

"Excuse me?!" Paul roared. Mitch stood up angrily, letting the tide of anger take over.

"I said no because I don't want to end up like you!" Mitch yelled. "Crying over something that happened years ago, not moving on, always drunk and living life out in a bottle!" Paul grabbed Mitch over the table and pulled him down, smashing his face onto the table and then tossing him away. The table tilted and fell and Mitch scrambled up off the ground.

"What did I do to you?" Mitch screamed, fists clenching.

"You're a screw up!" Paul shrieked.

"Because you're my dad!" Mitch screeched back. Everything fell silent, and Mitch cleared his throat.

"I don't know why I even try with you anymore," Mitch said. "I'm leaving. Now." Mitch turned and started to walk to the staircase when Paul spoke.

"It's no use," he said. Mitch turned and saw the twisted smile on his face. "You're already exactly like me." Mitch stared at him, and fought the urge to snap and lash out. Instead, Mitch closed his eyes and turned around, walking up the stairs as his father called out angry words and screamed he was useless, completely useless, a waste of space with no purpose who deserved all the shit in his life. Mitch pulled his phone out of his pocket and pulled up messages, pausing a moment to stare out the window into Jerome's bedroom.

**Mitch – You were right. I shouldn't push people away.**

Mitch shoved his phone back into his pocket and emptied his school books onto the bed, packing clothes in its place and his wallet. Then Mitch walked down the staircase, not looking at his father, staring straight ahead and walking out the door.

"Get back here!" Paul screamed. Mitch didn't reply, crossing the lawn and walking down the street towards the end of the road. There was a smash as Paul ran into the trash can and Mitch didn't look back.

* * *

Jerome sat on the couch, not even paying attention to the current show babbling on about how you could win one million dollars if you remembered the name of some dead general. Grace was talking mindlessly.

"Can I put the music channel on?" she asked, bouncing up and down in front of Jerome.

"Sure," Jerome sighed, waving his hand absently. Grace smiled brightly and grabbed the controller, flicking through to her favourite channel. Katy Perry's 'I Kissed a Girl' was playing. The irony hurt.

"Grace! Turn that off!" Cynthia yelled, walking into the living room while drying her hands on a towel. She snatched up the controller and switched the channel, tutting lightly.

"Inspiring young girls to disobey God," she sighed. "It's disgusting." Jerome's chest tightened. _Well shit. _

"Well… you know, I don't think God actually meant that…" Jerome said softly, flinching. Cynthia turned and looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you doubting Him? Should we take you to church more often?"

"No, it's fine! I don't doubt Him at all; it's just… well… God loves everyone and everything He's created, so why would he hate guys who like guys and girls who like girls?" Jerome said in a rush. Cynthia frowned.

"Because the Bible says," Cynthia sighed, shaking her head slightly. "How people could so blatantly disobey…" she murmured, wandering back into the kitchen.

"Jerome? Are you okay? You went really pale!" Grace chirped, leaning on the arm of the couch and looking up at him.

"Yeah. I'm… fine. Totally, amazingly fine."

* * *

Caitlyn sat on the hanging seat in the front of her house, one leg touching the ground and rocking it slightly, the other leg tucked beneath her. Caitlyn stared out at the street, cold winds ruffling the orange trees, leaves falling gently on the road, the street lights beginning to flicker on as the sun set brilliantly, casting rays of light across the street and glinting off the metal of the trash cans. All in all, it was pretty. Caitlyn sighed and picked up her book again, flipping through the pages and skimming the passages. She heard the sound of a car driving down the street but jumped when she heard the car door slam in front of her house. She looked up and smiled as Preston waved to her as he walked up the path, sitting heavily beside her on the seat, making it rock faster. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and kissed her forehead. Caitlyn marked her page and set it down beside her, nuzzling into his neck and closing her eyes.

"To what do I owe this visit?" she asked, trying to sound sophisticated.

"My need to escape my house and urge to see you," he replied. There was silence as the pair rocked in the wind, the occasional car driving past slowly.

"You know, this is where it all started," Preston said. "Where I talked to you for the first time, where Mitch and Jerome met."

"That party was a blur," Caitlyn giggled. "I don't remember much." Preston shifted slightly, and Caitlyn reached her feet out and rested them on the top of the railing fencing in the porch.

"I've been meaning to ask you," Preston said suddenly. "Where did you and Zak go that night? We were talking and then you pulled him away and I was stuck with Sydney." Caitlyn laughed slightly and threaded her fingers through Preston's.

"We went and just talked. I asked him about Jerome and he said he was his friend," Caitlyn said with a shrug. "Apparently, Jerome didn't have that many friends… okay, no friends. Then Zak bumped into him last year when he had a few eggs smashed on his head." Preston winced.

"Not fun," Preston sighed. "So… basically, Jerome was the loner kid with no friends?"

"Pretty much," Caitlyn replied. "Maybe he has more in common with Mitch than he thought."

* * *

"So mum, I've been meaning to talk to you-"

"Jerome, pass the salt!" Grace yelled.

"Grace, don't yell at the table. Inside voice," Jackson chided.

"Yes daddy," Grace chirped.

"Can I please just have a moment to talk-"

"Jerome, give us a moment. We can talk later. Your father has news!" Jerome sighed in frustration as Jackson shifted, smiling widely.

"I just got a new plan in. That means the house is paid off and we now have five thousand dollars to spend on whatever we want!" Jackson announced. Grace clapped her hands and Cynthia smiled with approval.

"Can we get a new cubby house?" Grace asked excitedly.

"Whatever you want for the backyard," Jackson said. Grace squealed happily and Cynthia looked at her.

"Inside voices!" she said, voice light.

"We can get you a new laptop too, Jerome," Jackson said, gesturing to Jerome. "I know the one you have currently isn't as good." Jerome smiled half-heartedly and Cynthia set her fork and knife down, clasping her hands in front of her.

"Who wants to say grace?" Cynthia asked. Grace put her hand up excitedly, as per usual. Cynthia nodded to her and Grace put her hands together. Jerome and Jackson mimicked the move, Jerome closing his eyes as he rested his head over his hands.

"God is great, God is good. Let us thank Him for our food. Amen," Grace said grandly. Everyone echoed the 'amen' and then started to eat.

"So… can I talk now?" Jerome asked hopefully.

"Dad, did I tell you about my spelling test?" Grace interrupted. Jerome scowled and opened his mouth to speak when Jackson replied.

"No, you didn't. What did you score?" Jackson asked.

"I got it all right!"

"Good job, honey. Cynthia, will you pass the potatoes?" Jackson asked.

"Seriously, I just want to-"

"Jerome, be quiet for a second! Grace is trying to tell your father something!" Cynthia said, annoyed.

"But mum, she interrupted me first!" Jerome said angrily.

"Don't be childish!" Jackson snapped.

"I just want to say something!" Jerome snapped back.

"Let me talk, Jerome!" Grace whined.

"Grace, don't whine!" Cynthia said.

"Don't snap at her for Jerome's fault," Jackson said.

"How is that my fault? I didn't even do anything wrong!" Jerome protested. "I just want to say something!"

"You had an option to talk to us before we served," Cynthia said coldly. "Stop acting like a child."

"You let Grace get away with it!"

"Grace is _six years old_, Jerome."

"It's still not fair!" Jerome yelled. "I can't ever fit anything in with this damn family!"

"Mind your language!" Jackson snapped.

"Jerome, what has gotten into you?" Cynthia cried.

"Maybe if you actually paid attention to me for once, you'd know!" Jerome said angrily. Cynthia gasped.

"Jerome, don't talk like that!"

"Jerome, if you can't behave I'll send you away now-"

"I kissed Mitch!" Jerome blurted suddenly. The table was silent. Cynthia dropped her fork, jaw dropping, Jackson paled and his eyes widened. Grace looked confused, and Jerome slowly sat back down, everyone staring at him. _Well… shit._

* * *

**I agree with Jerome! Shit! Anyway... we're steadily finding out more and more about Jerome, Mitch is running away and JEROME FINALLY TOLD HIS EXTREMELY HOMOPHOBIC PARENTS HE KISSED MITCH!**

**Who did Mitch text? What really happened between Zak and Jerome to make them best friends the year before? Why was Jerome such a loner? Where exactly is Mitch going? FIND OUT NEXT TIME IN THE CHAPTER OF COLLISION COURSE! *music plays and I dance away***


	18. Chapter 18

**Hello Nerdians! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get a new chapter out, I've been focused on Ship-Fic Drabbles and a new story I'm working on :P No biggie! Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter, sorry about the cliff-hanger!**

**LETS START!**

* * *

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

Cynthia let out a long, low moan and lowered her head on the table and Jackson's fists clenched.

"But… you're meant to kiss girls because you're a guy!" Grace protested.

"Grace. Go up to your room. Take your food," Jackson said calmly. Grace looked spooked and hurriedly ran off with her plate, leaving Jerome alone with his two very angry parents.

"Tell me you're joking for attention," Jackson growled. Jerome opened and closed his mouth like a fish, finally shaking his head no. Jackson let out a sigh and sank back down into his chair, massaging the bridge of his nose.

"When did this happen?" Jackson asked.

"First at camp," Jerome said quietly.

"_First_?" Cynthia wailed. "You mean this has happened multiple times!?"

"Yeah, it has," Jerome snapped. Cynthia looked up, tears running down her face.

'Oh, Jerome, no! You'll be cast out from Heaven!" Cynthia cried.

"I like him and he feels the same way," Jerome mumbled.

"No, no, no!" Cynthia screeched. "You can't!" Jackson stood up again, face transformed with anger.

"You will end whatever you have now," he growled. "Or I swear, I will-"

"Why won't you let me?" Jerome shouted, standing up. "I never ask for anything!" Jackson's hand rose up and he slapped Jerome hard from across the table, sending Jerome reeling back. Jerome gasped in pain and his hand flew up to his red cheek.

"I will not have a gay son!" he roared.

"I hate you!" Jerome screamed back and Cynthia wailed in horror, standing up and flinging her arms around Jackson's shaking shoulders.

"You cannot Jerome, end it now!" Jackson yelled.

"I'm not ending it! It's what I want, can't you be accepting of that for one time in your damn life?" Jerome shouted. Jackson slammed his fist down on the table and pointed to the staircase, quivering with anger.

"Go to your room now!" Jackson screeched. Jerome let out a single sob and turned and ran up the stairs into his room, trying to convey all his anger into the slam of his door.

"I hate you!" Jerome screamed. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you both so _much_!" Cynthia's cries reached a new pitch and Jerome heard a plate smash. Jerome linked his hands behind his head and looked down, crying loudly, not bothering to hide it. Jerome walked across his room and slammed his hand out, knocking over the stack of books on his desk. They smacked onto the ground with a satisfying crash and Jerome flung himself on his bed and buried his face in the pillow.

With that, Jerome cried.

* * *

Mitch knocked on the door, shivering slightly in his thin jacket. The lights in the window flickered and a shadow passed in front of them. The lock unclicked and the door swung open. Mat smiled thinly and leaned against the doorframe, taking a puff from the cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

"Well hello, Mitchell," he smirked. "What brings you to my humble abode?"

"I know you'd be the only one home alone," Mitch muttered. Mat laughed and breathed out a cloud of grey smoke in Mitch's face. Mitch scowled but didn't comment, glaring at Mat.

"Well come on in," Mat said grandly, taking a step back and moving his hand in a sweeping gesture. "All services are at your fingertips and the weed's in the fridge." Mitch nodded and walked inside, letting Mat shut the door. Mitch sighed as he walked into the cramped living room, the scent of smoke heavy in the air.

"There isn't any good shit on so I'm watching the latest talent show," Mat said, rolling his eyes. Mitch threw his bag by the couch and slumped down in the sagging couch, closing his eyes and breathing in the familiar smoke.

"You and your high expectations," Mitch mumbled. Mat grunted and sat down beside him, resting one foot up on the dirty coffee table and sighing.

"What's going on in your wonderful life?" Mat asked, taking a long drag from his cigarette and blowing it out slowly.

"Crap," Mitch replied. "My dad just went on mega rage and I left so I didn't stabbed with a spoon." Mat laughed drily, looking at Mitch out the corner of his eye.

"That's not it, is it?" he asked. "Tell me your problems or I'm changing the channel to Doctor Phil." Mitch sighed and ran a hand through his hair, wanting to wince at the girl on television trying to sing "Amazing Grace".

"How high are you?" Mitch asked suspiciously.

"Pretty high," Mat replied, hiccupping and then grinning.

"Awesome. Well, my life recently turned to shit because of the camp I went on with Jerome. We fought for most of it and then we were arguing and we were alone and I just kissed him. Because he was there and I could and it made sense," Mitch said in a rush. "Then I ran off and when I came in on Monday everyone knew because Jerome told his asshole friend about it."

"The fat guy?" Mat asked quizzically. Mitch nodded and he cackled. "Bullshit!"

"Nah, it happened," Mitch answered. "And now we're kinda in a relationship and all that corny crap and it's all going downhill." Mat tapped his fingers against the armrest and flicked ashes off the end of his cigarette.

"I have just the thing," Mat mumbled, standing up and walking into the kitchen, stubbing his cigarette out on the kitchen counter on the way. He opened the fridge, humming, and pulled out a small bag. "I just got a new batch in, and it's the shit." Mat grabbed his gear and brought it out, setting it up quickly and with practised ease. He rolled up some of the weed in the paper required tightly and then lit it up. He passed it to Mitch and Mitch gazed at it hesitantly.

"You know, I said I didn't want to do this anymore…" Mitch said, slightly angry. Mat laughed.

"You're having a bad day and it relaxes the shit out of you," Mat urged. "Just do it." Mitch sighed, rolled his eyes, and then took a quick buzz. He snorted and then went off on a coughing fit, making Mat laugh.

"It hasn't been that long," he chuckled. "You can do it!"

"Shut up," Mitch growled as he inhaled again, this time getting it right. He expelled smoke through his lips and sighed, sagging back into the chair.

"Welcome back, dude."

* * *

"Uh… I don't know this one," Preston mumbled, lying back on the bed and putting his arms behind his head.

"It's Disconnected by Pegboard Nerds," Caitlyn replied. "I can't believe you don't know that one!"

"I'm sorry," Preston whimpered, making puppy eyes. Caitlyn laughed and fell down beside him, and he shifted and wrapped his arms around her. Caitlyn sighed happily and nuzzled her head into his chest, closing her eyes. _He is so perfect. I can't believe he loves me… wow, this went corny quickly. _

"Caitie? Caitie!" Preston said, poking her cheek again, drawing out his syllables. "You're phone is blowing up."

"Why aren't we on fire then?" Caitlyn murmured, not wanting to open her eyes.

"Seriously. It's Jerome," Preston said worriedly. Caitlyn sat up quickly and grabbed her phone in one quick move off the end of the bed.

**Jay-rome – Caitlyn, I need help. **

**Jay-rome – please?**

**Jay-rome – I think my parents are going to kill me**

**Pope Syd – Yo what's up with Jerome? He keeps messaging me to call you cause you aren't answering him**

**Jay-rome – I told my parents about Mitch and they blew up**

**Jay-rome – I think they hate me and I think they're going to throw me out **

**Pope Syd – he's really freaked about something**

**Jay-rome – I'm really scared Caitlyn I don't know what to do**

**Pope Syd – SERIOUSLY BITCH ANSWER HIS DAMN MESSAGES I'M TRYING TO WATCH TV OVER HERE GEEZ**

Caitlyn gaped, a small laugh escaping at Sydney's texts. Her phone buzzed again and a new message popped up.

**Jay-rome – Mitch isn't answering my messages and I can hear his dad yelling I think something happened**

Caitlyn looked over her shoulder at Preston, who'd sat up and was looking at her worriedly.

"Jerome told his parents about Mitch, and they freaked out," Caitlyn said swiftly. "And apparently Mitch's unresponsive."

"Shit… I thought he's parents would be fine with it!" Preston cursed.

"Are they really homophobic or something?" Caitlyn asked.

"Yeah. They think it goes against God's will to be gay and they'll probably toss him out to go live with relatives or something so he doesn't taint anyone else," Preston sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You should see them at Church when we go to that part of the Bible. They demand to skip it over so they don't have to talk about it."

"Geez," Caitlyn said, taking a deep breath. "We need to go over there in case they try and burn him at the stake!" Caitlyn was halfway up when she paused, looking at Preston and biting her lip.

"They won't try and _actually_ burn him, will they?" she asked quickly, and Preston shrugged.

"I have no idea. They're extreme," Preston mumbled. Caitlyn paled a few shades and jammed her feet in her shoes, stumbling to the door and trying to pretend she didn't hit the wall.

"We need to go quickly," Caitlyn  
said. "Hurry up!" Preston heaved himself up and followed her out. The couple exited the house and Preston walked quickly down the drive to his car, unlocking it and sliding in, the car rocking as Caitlyn practically flung herself in.

"You'll have to guide me. I don't know where he lives," Preston said.

"Twenty-eight Oakside Avenue," Caitlyn said immediately. She'd memorised the address from when she'd picked up Jerome.

"Then how the heck is Mitch his neighbour?" Preston asked as he started the car up.

"According to Jerome, Mitch's dad gets by on the whole heap of money the Government gives him for hurting his leg at work. I don't know how he manages, because apparently he wastes it all on alcohol," Caitlyn replied. Preston turned his attention to the road and sighed as he started to drive.

"Wow," Preston mumbled. "Well, I still suck at directions. Be my beacon of light and show me the way."

"Jesus take the wheel!" Caitlyn sang, and Preston sighed.

"I'm going to putting up with this for the whole trip, huh?"

"Pretty much. I'm the worst passenger seat driver, too."

"Oh goodie."

* * *

Mitch threw his head back and laughed, smoke wafting up from his lips and joining the cloud slowly drooping from the roof towards them.

"And the nurse chick turned around and saw me checkin' her out," Mat slurred, "So I had to book it outta there before she called the head nurse – who had the biggest rack, I swear to god." Mat picked up his bottle of booze and knocked back another sip, offering it shakily to Mitch. Mitch took it and gulped some of it down, the acidic taste burning his throat, something he didn't notice through the buzz of the weed.

"That reminds me of this time at the park," Mat started. "I was walking along with my board and I came across these two frickin' gorgeous chicks in really, really short shorts. I did some moves in front of 'em and fell flat on my damn face! But I was lucky one of them was a total whore." Mat cackled, and Mitch joined in with is laughter.

"You got lucky, you bitch," Mitch mumbled.

"Hey, you got Jerome now, thank god," Mat managed. "You could never get a girl!"

"Oh shut up!" Mitch laughed, kicking Mat's foot off the table. Then there was a sudden knock at the door, and both boys jumped. Mitch fell off the couch and laughed again, head buzzing from the mix of drugs and booze.

"Shit!" Mat hissed. "Turn off the TV!" Mitch, still giggling, grabbed the remote and turned off the set. Mat crawled under the coffee table and Mitch joined him, both boys trying to hold in their laughter. The person knocked again and Mitch held his hands over his mouth.

"Mitchell, I know you're in there," the person said finally, and all the blood drained from Mitch's face.

"Oh crap," he whispered.

"You know this dude?" Mat asked softly.

"It's Tory!" Mitch replied.

"Holy shit! Okay, you were never here! Go hide in my bedroom or something!" Mat panicked. Mitch sighed and crawled out from under the table, standing up.

"Dude, what the hell?" Mat hissed. Mitch stumbled to the front door and leaned heavily against it, pressing his ear to the wood and listening.

"Mitch," Tory whispered through the door. "Please." Mitch heaved out a sigh and opened the door, head hung low with shame, and Tory gasped. Mitch waited for her to start screaming but instead arms wrapped around him, enveloping him in a pineapple-scented hug. Mitch gaped and Tory let out a small sob, burying her head in Mitch's smoky hair.

'Grab your stuff, we're leaving now to my apartment," Tory whispered. Mitch nodded and peeled himself free, not looking at Tory's sad face as he grabbed his bag and waved to Mat. Mitch trudged outside after Tory and got into the car with her, not saying a word. They drove alone, still submerged in the quiet, streetlights casting shadows over Mitch's face. Tory sighed.

"I always knew, if that helps," she whispered. "I didn't say anything because I wanted you to be able to make mistakes so you could learn from them and…" Tory's breath hitched and her grip on the wheel tightened, knuckles whitening. She let out a shuddery breath and had to pull over, resting her head on the wheel and crying softly. Mitch didn't say anything, still buzzed and feeling the most shame anyone could feel.

"I feel horrible because I should've stopped you but…. God, Mitch, I'm not your mother and I never wanted to force myself on you, I just wanted t-to take care of y-you!" She said tearily. Mitch blinked and let out a slow breath.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I know sorry doesn't cut it. I put you through shit and I feel horrible." Tory looked up at him, cheeks stained with wet tracks from her tears.

"It's not your place to be sorry, it's my fault," Tory whispered. Mitch reached out to her and took her hand in his.

"No, seriously. I shouldn't have treated you so badly and I completely took you for granted. I feel like a dick," Mitch chuckled. Tory put both her hands in Mitch's, holding him like a lifeline as she smiled, shaking her head slightly.

"Let's just agree we both screwed up and put this behind us. I'll stop trying to be your mother and you stop doing the drugs and the drinking and the…" she paused, taking a deep breath. "I don't know what else you're doing, but I don't want you to end up like your father. He's unhappy and he's been the worst role model to you. I feel terrible saying that but it's true. He should've been there for you and so should I."

"We're all messed up," Mitch sighed. Tory leaned across the middle and hugged him tight. "I'm sorry I did all this. Dad was having a rage and I went to Mat for help and we kinda fell into it all…" Tory didn't speak as Mitch fell into silence.

"Your dad told me where you would be," Tory whispered in his ear. "So on some level, he cares. He really does."

* * *

Jerome sat on the bottom step, listening to his parents talk.

"That note we got yesterday," Cynthia murmured. "About the bullying and the incident, you don't think it could've been Jerome causing a scene?" Jerome scowled. _Suddenly I'm the bad guy. _Jerome was bitter, yes, but mainly heartbroken. His parents didn't love him anymore for a choice that was out of his hands. This time last year, he would've been alone, but now he had Caitlyn, Sydney and Preston… mainly Mitch. Hopefully he was okay.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Jackson growled. "He's becoming one of them and he'll burn in hell for it."

"What will happen to Grace?" Cynthia moaned. "She's been exposed to his blasphemy!" Jerome wanted to stand up and scream at them but it was the wrong time. They were extreme in their religion and wouldn't be swayed. Jerome was unlucky to be stuck with parents who believed so fiercely, and the situation would've been better if he was with another family. _Huh. So basically if I didn't belong to this family and was born as a different person in a different home in a different place this would be fine. Great. _

"Grace will be fine," Jackson said comfortingly. "She's pure. She's too young to be posed with this situation, and we should keep her out of it until we figure out what to do with… _him_." Jerome would've growled if his phone hadn't buzzed in his pocket. The couple went silent and Jerome scrambled up the stairs and slipped into his room, peeking out as Jackson stood at the bottom of the stairs and stared up into the upper hall. Jerome hid out of sight and Jackson sighed, disappearing back into the living room. Jerome shut the door quietly and hastily pulled out his phone, nearly dropping it to the floor.

**Caitlyn – Oh my god Jerome, I'm sooo sorry I didn't answer earlier! We're parked outside the front of your house and you can come meet us if you want?**

Jerome was surprised. _Do I sneak out? Mum and Dad would murder me if I walked past them… I'll have to sneak out._

**Jerome – Let me pack some stuff and I'll sneak round the back**

**Caitlyn – Alright, see you in a few **

Jerome grabbed his school bag and emptied his books and equipment into a small duffel, then grabbing clothes and things and jamming them in beside his books. When he had enough clothes and things, Jerome zipped it up and pulled his shoes on. Jerome quietly slipped out of his room and into Grace's. Jerome leaned against the door and studied his little sister, who had fallen asleep, her food forgotten. Jerome smiled and walked over to her, kissing her forehead lightly.

"See you, Gracie," he whispered, and then he turned around and walked out quickly, looking down the steps and straining to hear his parents, who continued to talk softly. Jerome took a deep breath and then ran down the steps to the back door, opening it partly and sliding out, shutting it as quietly as he could and running over the deck to the side gate. He yanked it open and walked out, closing it with a dull clang. Then he flew over the lawn, the dark sky above him, and pulled open the back door of the car on the curb. Jerome flung his bag in and followed it, shutting the door and leaning forward between the two front seats.

"Thank you so much," he said in one breath. "They're talking like they don't know me anymore."

'You should really check who's in the car before you get in," Caitlyn scolded, turning in her seat to face him. "We could've been paedophiles waiting for you to come so we could kidnap you." Preston nodded solemnly.

"You said you were parked out here. Who else would be here at this time of night?" Jerome scoffed.

"Paedophiles waiting for you to come so they could kidnap you," Caitlyn replied, deadpan. Jerome sighed and slumped back, buckling his seatbelt.

"Let's just go before my parents realise," Jerome muttered.

"Okey-dokey," Preston said, shifting the car into drive and pulling away into the street. Caitlyn smiled at him and reached back, her hand curling in his.

"We'll make sure they don't find you," she said confidently.

"But… I'll never really be able to go back, until things cool off. Which they probably won't," Jerome sighed. Caitlyn laughed lightly, eyes glittering.

"Hey, we're here for you. What are friends for?"

* * *

**So yeah! It's so weird, because I have no idea how you're meant to smoke weed :P Thankfully! I had to Google it... weird junk comes up when you Google "How do you smoke weed" I seriously don't recommend it... Hey, anything to enhance the experience of the story, huh? And look, no offence is meant with Jerome's parents. They're extremely religious and homophobic. Meh. I'm not saying every Christian is against gay rights (Seriously, I'm Christian) its just they needed to be for the story. I'm sure Jerome's' real parents are lovely :)**

**And I may or may not of started crying writing the part between Tory and Mitch. It makes me sad ;-; **

**Anyways, thanks for reading, check out my other stories (30th chapter of Ship-Fics went up, it's totally gory and cool) and buy my shirts!**

BAIII


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello Nerdians, and welcome to a new chapter or Collision Course! Thank you all so much for 100 reviews on Ship-Fic Drabbles, it made my morning-night so much better!  
**

**I apologise for the break between updates on this, I've been working on other things and dealing with TC fandom drama.**

* * *

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

Thursday morning came, and Jerome woke up groggily on a mattress on the floor of Caitlyn's bedroom. Caitlyn herself was sprawled on her bed, one hand up and bent at a weird angle behind her head, one leg above the doona and drool staining her cheek from her mouth. Jerome stifled a laugh and the urge to a photo as he sat up, pushing the blanket back. Caitlyn awoke with a start, sitting up and then falling back down.

"I have no feeling in my arm," she slurred.

"Because you were practising to be a contortionist," Jerome replied, reaching to the left and grabbing his duffel bag.

"Yeah, it's my life dream," she said drily. She yawned and sat up again, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and stretching her arms above her head.

"It really concerns me that your parents are never home," Jerome said. "How they react if they came in and saw a strange guy in your room?"

"You aren't strange. I talk about you," she said dismissively. "Besides, you look cute when you're asleep. They wouldn't freak out." Jerome's brow furrowed.

"You think I'm cute when I sleep?"

"Whoa, fisherman. Slow down, I'm taken," she said as she stood. "Anyway, you can go get changed in the bathroom. We leave in twenty minutes."

* * *

Mitch woke up on the couch in Victoria's apartment, a blanket flung over him and a pillow stuffed under his neck. Mitch looked up at the roof and blinked to get the sleep out of his eyes, resting an arm over his eyes to block out the sun angling through the window.

"Morning, Mitch," Tory called cheerily from the kitchen as she bustled around and cooked. "You slept like the dead; you must be a really heavy sleeper." _Well, it was probably the combination of weed and cherry cola spiked with Jack Daniels, but you can believe what you want._ Mitch didn't say anything, sitting up and rubbing his forehead.

"Good morning," Mitch mumbled.

"I usually don't cook in the mornings and just eat when I get to work, but I have a guest so I thought I'd break out the pan and do some eggs," Tory said. She smiled slightly and brushed her hair back out of her eyes. "I almost forgot how to get the stove working, it's been so long."

"You didn't have to go to all that trouble for me," Mitch said. _Oh crap. I've been spending too much time with Jerome. I'm getting… nice. _Mitch shuddered involuntarily and stood up, pausing as his vision swam. _Second time being hung-over this week. Wow, I'm becoming dad. _Mitch rubbed his eyes violently to rid himself of that thought and walked over to the kitchen, sitting at the table and watching Tory walk around the kitchen and cook. It was too hectic for Mitch to follow and his head was pounding, so he closed his eyes and rested his head on the table. Mitch dozed off again and woke up when Tory shook his shoulder.

"Wake up," she said, placing a plate in front of him. She sat down across from him at the small little table and started to eat her own eggs. Mitch picked up his fork and started to eat as well, slowly chewing. _This is nice. Wow. _Neither of them spoke, eating silently.

"Um… you know, about last night… how you said you'll stop trying to be my mother?" Mitch said quietly. Tory stopped chewing and looked up, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"Yeah?" Tory asked, setting down her fork and folding her hands over each other.

"So… uh… I really wouldn't mind if you were my mum," Mitch said carefully. "You're a lot better than whatever I could've had and I wouldn't trade you for the world." Tory stared at him blankly and looked down at her hands, which were still neatly folded.

"I-I understand if you don't want to," Mitch said quickly. "I just thought that we could maybe…" Tory looked up, her eyes shining with tears.

"Mitch," she whispered. "I would love it." She stood up and ran around the table, flinging her arms around Mitch and clinging to him tightly. Mitch shifted slightly in her grasp and buried his head in her shoulders, rising up his arms and hugging her back. Tory let out a sob and Mitch felt her tears drip onto his head. They stood there for a moment, not moving from their awkward position, hugging tightly.

"Love you, Tory," Mitch mumbled. Tory pulled away slightly, smiling at her happily, cheeks tracked with tears.

"I love you too," she whispered. She wiped her cheeks and took a step back, fanning her face. "Now you need to get changed, because school starts in ten minutes."

* * *

"Put whatever song on," Caitlyn urged. "My phone has all the funky Bluetooth jazz." Jerome looked confused as he tapped the Bluetooth button and went into music.

"How does Bluetooth work?" he asked. Caitlyn looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Dude. Seriously?" Caitlyn asked. Jerome nodded and Caitlyn sighed. "Well, it just means my phone is synched with the stereo. So play a song and it'll come through."

"Oh," Jerome muttered. _Wow. I can't believe he didn't understand that._ Jerome scrolled through her playlist silently and the opening bars of House started to play. Caitlyn smiled as she shifted gears and pulled out of the driveway onto the road.

"Excellent choice, young one. You're on your way," Caitlyn said approvingly. Jerome rolled his eyes and Caitlyn stuck her tongue out at him as they drove slowly down the road.

"Are we picking up Preston?" Jerome asked.

"Yeah. And Sydney as well today," Caitlyn explained. Caitlyn bounced her head in time with the music and watched Jerome tap his knee nervously out the corner of her eye.

"What's up?" Caitlyn asked.

"Nothing," Jerome muttered.

"Bull," Caitlyn said. "What's up?" Jerome sighed.

"Just worried," he replied. "That my parents are gonna show up. That Mitch is going to know I told them."

"Speaking of our wonderfully bitchy friend," Caitlyn began. "How's that going?"

"I guess we're sorta-kinda-maybe dating," Jerome mumbled. "We... like, haven't kissed or anything since the hallway, and he was all loving and nice when I was having my drama moment and all and… I don't know what's really going on." Caitlyn tapped her fingers on the wheel and stuck out her bottom lip.

"Maybe you should just… ask him?" Caitlyn suggested. Jerome blinked; like that thought was only just occurring to him now.

"Ask him?" Jerome spluttered.

"Pretty much," Caitlyn said, matter-of-fact, nodding her head slightly. Jerome looked out the window and frowned. Then he looked back down at Caitlyn's phone, which rested on his leg.

"How do you pronounce the name off this guy?" Jerome asked.

"You pronounce it as overwork, as normal. It's just spelt o-v-e-r-w-e-r-k," Caitlyn explained. Jerome nodded and set the phone down between them.

"It doesn't seem to have many lyrics beside 'house'," Jerome commented. Caitlyn looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Take a trip to my house, nothing's what it seems, my life is like roller coaster, trapped inside a dream," she sang. Jerome scowled. And opened his mouth to speak and Caitlyn held up her hand. "Come over to my place, see how we be getting down, it's a twisted castle but inside I wear the crown!"

"Is my ownage done yet?" Jerome huffed. Caitlyn shrugged and smiled, tapping the beat out on the wheel. _Oh, it's never over._

"My house, my house, take a trip to my house," Caitlyn sang, getting louder.

'I get it, Caitlyn-"

"My house, my house, take a trip to my house!"

"Caitlyn-"

"My house! Take a trip to it, Jerome! I said take a trip to my house!" Caitlyn screamed. Jerome rolled his eyes and put his hands over his ears.

"You sound like a dying donkey!"

"My house!"

"Caitlyn, stop it!"

"My house!" Caitlyn yelled in his ear. Jerome closed his eyes and stuck his tongue out at her while she danced in her seat to the music, trying to not run the car off the road. They pulled up to Preston's house when the next sound was ticking over.

"I know this one!" Jerome said excitedly. Caitlyn beeped her horn and Preston came out of his house, hearing the music from outside and raising an eyebrow. He opened the door and music flooded out, and he blinked.

"You drove me here and i can't slow down, no, can you feel it too. The rain won't stopping now, feel of the ground, head to the sky, yeah, by my side, you and my vision directly we collide!" Jerome sang, Caitlyn joining in.

"I have the feeling I missed something crucial here…" Preston muttered, shutting the door behind him and buckling his seatbelt.

"You pulled me in, i don't resist!" Caitlyn yelled.

"Time seems to fly, the clock doesn't tick!" Jerome yelled back. "I crash into you, we both feel the heat, we both feel the way that our chemicals mix… and I wish to survive!"

Just came at you! I'm ready this time...and being in love!" Preston joined in.

Oh, so i need a god, without you here, i would never see the stars!" They yelled in unison. "I'm heading for you, put on the gas; I'm coming straight at you, no looking back! You are my star, we are connected, missile directed to the higher…" they all paused and put their hands up and then screamed the last line together:

"Then we collide!"

* * *

Jerome stood beside Mitch under their tree as Sydney babbled on about the new girl, Katrina Reid. Apparently she was nice but Haley had her sights on her already, and her niceness wouldn't last long.

"…and she started talking about the fact her dad made toothbrushes and how she was totally loaded, and then James immediately sat up beside her! Right in front of Addison!" Sydney ranted. "And then James, that little-"

"Man-whore with balls the size of Preston's personality," Caitlyn butted in tiredly. Mitch smirked and Jerome frowned. _Wow. She has an extended nickname for everyone._

"Hey!" Preston exclaimed. "Is that an insult?"

"Yep," Caitlyn murmured, but she was drowned out by Sydney continuing on with her spiel about James. Eventually Caitlyn took a step forward and pressed her hand over Sydney's mouth, turning and facing the three boys.

"And in other news-" she began, before squealing and yanking her hand back. "Oh my god, stop licking me!"

"You can't silence me!" Sydney yelled, and she leapt forward and knocked Caitlyn over. Caitlyn shrieked as she fell and Sydney laughed as she stumbled up. Caitlyn scowled and grabbed Sydney's leg, yanking her back down.

"Excuse me, but you're meant to be dating Preston, no matter how unfulfilling he is in a relationship," Mitch said. Preston laughed and pulled a face.

"Shot's fired," he said.

"That was meant to be an insult directed at you," Jerome said, raising an eyebrow. A look of confusion crossed Preston's face, and then he frowned.

"So it wasn't meant to insult Caitl - oh," he mumbled. He looked at Mitch and scowled. "Hey!"

"You really need to learn to read social insults," Mitch said drily as Caitlyn stood up and glared at Sydney.

"Well if the class is run by you I'll end up sitting behind the school being moody," Preston shot back. Jerome applauded politely and Preston smiled.

"Good job," Jerome said. "You're on your way."

"Why thank you," Preston said.

"If you boys have finished having your bonding moment, can we go back? The bell just rang and recess is over," Caitlyn said, shoving Preston in the back playfully towards the building.

"Okay, okay! Geez," Preston said. "I was having my lesson being a sarcastic and cynical bitch!"

"Well you're learning from the best," Sydney giggled, wiggling her eyebrows at Mitch. Mitch gave her the finger and she laughed, throwing her hands around Mitch's chest and pinning his arms to his side. Mitch froze and his eyes widened.

"Please don't," he muttered.

"Physical contact!" Sydney yelled, voice muffled as she buried her head in his bicep and squeezed tighter.

"Please?"

"_Physical_ _contact_!"'

"I don't like physical contact!"

"Physical con-"

"He's going to rip your head off," Caitlyn said, grabbing Sydney's arms and opening them up. Mitch stepped out of her embrace, rubbing his arms.

"You squeeze tight," he mumbled.

"It's not called _squeezing_, Mitch," Sydney laughed. "It's called _hugging_." Mitch looked confused.

"So you weren't trying to pop me like that pimple on your forehead?' he said innocently, and Sydney gasped, her hand flying up to her head.

"Looks like I am learning from the best," Preston said with a nod.

* * *

"… and if you look closer, you'll see that China's economy is dropping lightly in wake of the latest global drama," the teacher droned on, and Mitch sighed, digging his palms into his eyes and resting his elbow on the desk in front of him. "This could mean horrible things for those in the trade market…" _Oh my god, shut up. This is pointless._

A piece of paper hit the back of Mitch's head and he turned his head around quickly, eyes narrowing, only to see Jerome staring at him. He gestured to the paper on the floor beside Mitch's chair and made the motion for him to pick it up quickly. Mr Matthews was taking his time to turn back from the board so Mitch picked up quickly, spreading it out over his book and pretending he was reading the allocated passage.

_I just wanted to say hi and that I may or may not have told my parents about you and I'm now staying at Caitlyn's until further notice because they think I'm going to burn in hell and spread the gay to Grace. Thanks for your time bye :) _

Mitch stopped and stared at the paper, his eyes widened. He turned in his seat and stared at Jerome, and he shrugged and smiled hesitantly. Mitch turned back around and picked up his pen quickly, scrawling a message back and throwing it over his shoulder when Mr Matthews wasn't looking.

_Why?_

Mitch waited impatiently until the paper rolled up beside his chair. Mitch grabbed it frantically and skimmed the message back.

_It kinda fell out. We were arguing and I said stuff and then I randomly just blurted it out and all and they sent me up to my room in true parental fashion. I snuck out when Caitlyn and Preston came. I'm gonna stay at Caitlyn's until it dies down._

Mitch sighed and rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. _It's gonna be a long weekend._

* * *

**Is it good? Did you like? Give me as many pointers as you can, I need it to be perfect :D **

**I plan on having this finished maybe this month or early July. I'm entering this in a fancy little competition in my school, and the presentation night is the 301th of July. When this is finished, I'm going to need you guys to give me longer reviews about this with a rating out of 10 so I can have them up on my presentation so I look all professional (I won't look professional, I'll probably forget to brush my hair on the night or screw up majorly) and like I'm better at writing than I actually am. I'm really nervous about Presentation night, I doubt anyone has actually ever presented something with two guys kissing on the front cover xD I'll probably get yelled at and teased by a lot of the guys, but I really don't care ^_^ This is one of my longest stories and biggest achievements, and if they want to call me gay I can deal with it.**

**AND BACK ON TOPIC AFTER MY POINTLESS RAMBLING! Thank you for reading, check out my other stories and the songs mentioned (I own no lyrics, they belong to their respective owners blah blah blah) and please review! **

**Oh, and I think it's funny how I have a song called Collide in here. Get it? Collide? Collision Course? Huh? HUH? *laughs at stupid joke* *tumbleweed blows past and everyone is silent***

**ANYWAY thanks for reading, enjoy your night/day, thanks for 100 on Ship-Fics and have a good night/day!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hello Nerdians! I am so sorry for my terribly timed absence, but I have a valid reason: I fractured my wrist and writing is slow with one hand. Don't ask how. Now... *takes deep breath***

**OH MY GOD WE HIT 100 REVIEWS I AM SO FREAKING HAPPY I CAN'T BELIEVE IT AHHHHHHHHHHH! THANK YOU MEROMEFTW FOR BEING NUMBERR 100 I'M SO STOKED THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING I CAN'T BELIEVE WE MADE IT THIS FAR! IT HAPPENED TWO DAYS AFTER SHIP-FICS HIT 100 WHICH IS JUST TOO AWESOME OH MY GOD! I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!**

**Now, have a fluffy chapter in apology and celebration :D**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

That night, Caitlyn's dad came home. He stood in the doorway and blinked at Jerome, who was sitting on the couch with Caitlyn doing his homework. Jerome stared back at him and tentatively waved, and Caitlyn stood up quickly and smiled. Jerome sifted through his mental list of names – which wasn't that long – and tried to remember his name. _I think its Toby. Yeah. Toby._

"Hi, dad! This is Jerome!" Caitlyn said happily, gesturing to him.

"Hi," Jerome said.

"I thought you were dating Preston," her father said bluntly. Caitlyn laughed quickly and looked back at Jerome.

"Yeah, I'm still dating Preston. Don't be silly. God, dad, you're such a total doof," she giggled nervously. Toby sighed and looked at her pointedly.

"What are you hiding?" he asked gruffly. Jerome bit his lip and looked at Caitlyn, who looked positively stricken. _I thought she said her parents would be fine with it! She didn't even tell them! _

"Uh… well, Jerome… he kinda had a falling out with his parents about… some things," Caitlyn stuttered. _This is the first time she's never been confident in public… she looks like she's about to die. _Caitlyn looked from Jerome to her dad, twiddling her thumbs together and looking down at the floor.

"He's… sorta staying in my bedroom until the patch things up," Caitlyn mumbled. Toby looked surprised, and then sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Caitlyn," he moaned.

"Yes, daddy?" she said sweetly, grabbing his arm and squeezing it, lifting her foot slightly and reaching up to kiss his cheek. "You know how much I love you, right?"

"Caitlyn," he said sternly. "We give you a lot of freedom and you know that, but this is crossing the line." He looked at Jerome and smiled half-heartedly. "I know you talk about Jerome, and he seems like a really nice person and I can't judge him. But he can't just… stay here."

"But daddy!" Caitlyn whined, drawing out the syllables. "He really needs help and a place to stay and I'm being a good person! Didn't you want to raise me to be a good person?"

"You can't play that card on me!" he sighed, a small smile twitching at his lips. Caitlyn widened her eyes and did the most believable puppy eyes Jerome had ever seen. It put Grace to shame.

"Please, daddy," Caitlyn said softly. "Just hear Jerome out, listen to his situation! Then you _have_ to let him stay!" Toby sighed and looked over at Jerome, eyes half-lidded, and Jerome shrunk into himself, his shoulders reaching his ears. Toby sighed and sat down heavily in his armchair.

"Alright," he said. Caitlyn squealed happily and hopped over to Jerome, sitting down beside him.

"Thank you, daddy!" she said. She poked Jerome in the shoulder and Jerome flinched. Caitlyn leaned close to him and whispered in his ear. "Tell him!"

"Do I have to?" Jerome whispered. "It's sorta embarrassing."

"Just tell him!" Caitlyn hissed. Jerome sighed and looked over at Toby, who was resting his elbows on his knees, fingers forming a steeple. He looked at Jerome over his fingers and raised an eyebrow, tilting his head forward.

"Go on," he said.

"Well… my parents are really... religious, and I just kinda came out and said I was dating my neighbour," Jerome mumbled.

"And your neighbour is a guy?" Toby asked. Jerome nodded.

"They screamed at me and all and Caitlyn came and rescued me before they really blew up. I heard them talking about me and they said… stuff," Jerome explained. Toby was silent, and then he nodded.

"Alright. You can stay here as long as you need," he said, standing up and starting to walk away.

"Wait, what?" Jerome spluttered. He turned and looked at Jerome, a small smile on his face.

"What? Do you not want to stay?"

"No! No, I do! I just… didn't expect you to agree," Jerome said. Toby shrugged.

"I'm an agreeable person, and it doesn't really affect me since I'm out most of the time. Help yourself to the food but don't eat my doughnuts," Toby said, and then he disappeared into the kitchen. Caitlyn stared at Jerome and Jerome stared back, and then Caitlyn hugged him tightly and gave a little squeal.

"The girly-ness… it's consuming me," Jerome choked out, and Caitlyn flung herself back, face flushing.

"Sorry! I just… I'm happy," she sighed. She reached out and grabbed her sheet and pencil, looking down at it. "Now help me with my homework."

* * *

Jerome was in the shower, cleaning up for bed, leaving Caitlyn alone in the living room. Toby had gone back out, her mother was still a no show and god only knew where her older brother Lucas was. Caitlyn lounged back on the couch, texting Sydney about the new episode of Doctor Who coming out. Just the usual. Then Jerome's phone buzzed, and Caitlyn looked over at it. Against better judgement, Caitlyn pick it up and unlocked the screen, scanning the message from an unknown number. Caitlyn did a double-take and gasped at the hurtful message.

**(Unknown) – Gay faggot, little piece of shit**

The phone buzzed again and Caitlyn nearly dropped it in shock. Jerome's phone buzzed again and again, more and more hateful messages pouring in by the second.

"Jerome!" Caitlyn shrieked. Caitlyn heard the water cut off and the door opened, Jerome poking his head out, water dripping off him. Caitlyn was glad he wasn't as dim-witted as Lucas and had the decency to wrap a towel around his waist.

"What?" he asked, knocking Caitlyn from her thoughts.

"Get dressed now. I think Zak leaked your number to the popular kids," she whispered. Jerome's face was bleached of colour in that second. _Was he expecting this? Zak already betrayed him… this is taking it too far! _Jerome disappeared back inside to get his clothes and Caitlyn stared at the phone in her hand, more messages constantly buzzing. Caitlyn swallowed her worry and picked up her own phone, dialling Mitch. She waited as it rung, fidgeting impatiently with a loose thread in her jeans. _Pick up. Pick up, you little-_

"What?" Mitch snapped in annoyance, his voice filling Caitlyn's ear. "I'm trying to get ready to have a god damn shower and-"

"It's Jerome," Caitlyn interrupted. Mitch quieted, before let out a string of unique curses.

"If they beat him up I swear to go I am going to murder them! I'll shove their dicks in a blender and smash their heads in a wall and I'll-"

"Hey, hey! Hold up! It's nice to see you finally care about Jerome but-"

"Finally?" Mitch scoffed. "I've always cared about that idiotic bitch. He might be a stupid weirdo, but he's my stupid weirdo and no one can mess with him!" Mitch said harshly. Caitlyn was slightly taken-aback. _Wow. He actually loves him! In a… twisted, messed-up Mitch way, he loves him_.

"Glad to see you love him in your own way. Why can't you say that to him more often?" Caitlyn asked drily. "He'd appreciate seeing his feelings returned."

"Shut up," Mitch growled. "What was the point of you calling me, anyway?" Caitlyn jumped and swore under her breath, listening to Mitch's chuckle.

"The point of this is that I think the popular kids got Jerome's number. He's getting so many hateful messages it isn't even funny!" Caitlyn said. For the second time in their phone conversation, Mitch was rendered speechless.

"What?" he spluttered. Caitlyn nodded, lips pursed grimly, until she remembered Mitch couldn't see her.

"Yeah," Caitlyn sighed.

"Can I come over?" Mitch asked, slightly unsure. Caitlyn was surprised once again.

"Sure. I can give you directions-"

"I know where you live already," Mitch said dismissively, and Caitlyn giggled before frowning.

"Wait, how?"

"How do think I crashed your party? Google," Mitch chuckled. "See you in a few minutes." Mitch hung up and Caitlyn's jaw dropped slightly as she pulled her phone down and stared at it in surprise as Jerome ventured out, picking up his phone gingerly and scrolling through the messages, wincing occasionally. Then he let out a small gasp, and he sank into the couch beside Caitlyn, hands shaking.

"Shit," he mumbled. "Just shit."

"What?" Caitlyn asked, clamouring to look at his phone.

"Whoever told them my phone number also told them about last year," Jerome whispered, leaning back and closing his eyes.

"What happened last year?" Caitlyn asked curiously. "Is this about the eggs?" Jerome flinched but sighed, nodding.

"That's only part of it…" he trailed off, and Caitlyn smiled encouragingly.

"C'mon, I won't judge," she said, shifting to get comfortable. "Plus, I'm in the mood for some long life-story telling." Jerome chuckled and Caitlyn smiled lightly.

"So…" Jerome mumbled. "I… I was never really able to make friends in elementary or high school because I was… different. I was going pretty well until year three, when I had to go to get my appendix out. The surgery went bad and I was in the hospital for seven damn months after they managed to find this random tumour behind where my appendix had been, and when I finally got out I was way behind. I fell back and I was the stupid kid. No one came near because they thought they'd catch the stupid."

"Wow," Caitlyn mumbled. _That's pretty horrible. First they thought they'd catch stupid and now gay. That would really hurt. And his appendix and a tumour? How much bad luck does he have? _"But you're really smart."

"That's the thing," Jerome said. "I only managed to catch up in year six, because apparently the lack of friendship messed up my head. Mum was convinced I was mental – which I wasn't – and I had to constantly leave class early to a shrink. Which made it worse, by the way. But when I was suddenly at level and even overtaking, the other kids freaked. They thought they were all becoming idiots because the previous idiot was suddenly smart and… it's complicated. But they started calling me nerd, emailing me rude stuff, constantly tormenting me and I went into a phase. Of course, then it got physical. They beat me up a lot and I was in the hospital even more. Most of my life has been spent in one of those rooms with something hooked up to me and something plastered and… it was crap. I've broken my arms at least three times, I've fractured my fingers a lot, my eye-socket caved once from a punch, my ribs have been fractured six times and the principal did_ jack_ shit to the kids who beat me up because I was too scared to say anything. Then Zak came." Jerome took a pause to take in a breath and Caitlyn realised she had her hands over her mouth and her cheeks were damp. _Oh my god, that's terrible. How could kids put him through that?_

"Jerome... I had no idea," Caitlyn whispered.

"No one else does either. Well, no one used to know," Jerome sighed. "Anyway, it was Halloween last year when some boys jumped me. Some kid named Tyrone and the old bullies from before Peter and James. They knocked me down, called me a chicken and cracked eggs on my head to finish the joke. Zak found me in the park and helped me. I was really suspicious it was a set up but… I started to trust him." Jerome sounded bitter. "He promised we'd be friends and if I didn't forget about him he'd keep the boys away. I agreed and he somehow managed it, but look where we are now."

"Mistake trusting him, then," Caitlyn said.

"My entire life is one mistake after another," Jerome said. "I can't do anything right."

"Don't say that," a voice said angrily. Caitlyn jumped and fell against Jerome, letting out a faint shriek, and Jerome looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"How did you get it?" Caitlyn demanded. Mitch raised an eyebrow and shrugged emotionlessly.

"I knocked, you didn't answer, and I picked the lock. Simple," Mitch said.

"Where did you learn to pick a lock?" Caitlyn asked.

"Same place I learned how to hot-wire a car," Mitch said, a small smile on his lips. "Mat." Caitlyn looked at Jerome and pulled a face.

"What are you getting yourself into dating this guy?" Caitlyn asked.

"Hopefully something good," he murmured, before looking over at Mitch. "Are we dating?"

"I dunno. We are, I think. I don't know how relationships work but we've kissed and shit," he said nonchalantly, shrugging again. Jerome's brow furrowed but he nodded.

"Okay sure. We're dating now…" he trailed off. "Do I need a pet name for you or something? What are we meant to do? Do we-"

"Congratulations on the new couple," Caitlyn interrupted drily. "You can discuss the basis of your relationship later. Continue, Jerome."

"Oh. Um, yeah," Jerome said. "Basically, my life is really embarrassing and Zak knows everything, he's probably the one who gave people my phone number and told everyone about it." The room was silent and Mitch walked over, sitting beside Jerome.

"Well shit," Mitch said eventually. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know," Jerome murmured.

"The offer on running away to Canada is still open," he said, and Jerome laughed. He looked awkward but slowly opened his arms.

"Um… hug?" he asked. Mitch stared at him, and the shrugged. Jerome wrapped his arms around Mitch gingerly and Mitch snickered, returning the favour. Jerome put his head on Mitch's shoulder, and Caitlyn expected him to tense up. To her surprise, he _relaxed_.

"Love you, you little shit," Mitch murmured, closing his eyes.

"Thanks, I think…" Jerome mumbled. "Love you too." They stayed like that for a moment, and then she giggled.

"You two are so cute in your own awkward, weird way," she giggled. She stood up and clapped her hands together, smiling brightly.

"And on that happy note, who wants to order pizza for dinner?"

* * *

**So we have Caitlyn, ever the optimist, a awkward Mitch who's finally accepting his life, and we know Jerome's harrowing back story. Isn't it sad?**

**Anyway, I seriously love you guys. Thanks so much for 100 reviews (which coincides with 20 chapters quite neatly) and I'm glad you guys are enjoying it as much as me. We're nearly at the end, maybe five or seven more chapters? It's been a wonderful ride and I'm so grateful I got to experience it with you guys.**

**Thanks again, and I'll see you in the next chapter!**


End file.
